NFC South: Justin Drescher
Time for a look at Wednesday morning's top stories from around the NFC South.
The New Orleans Saints continue negotiations to get quarterback Drew Brees signed to a new contract, but nothing is done yet. The Saints also have the option to put the franchise tag on Brees before Monday’s deadline, but that’s only a last resort. The Saints would rather complete a deal with Brees so that they would have the franchise tag available for guard Carl Nicks.
D. Orlando Ledbetter has his offseason depth chart for the Falcons. It’s fine as it stands right now, but changes will be coming in free agency. I’d be shocked if the chart looks like it does now in September and has Sam Baker and Will Svitek as the top two options at left tackle. He also doesn’t include free-agent cornerback Brent Grimes and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. I’ve got a hunch the Falcons will find a way to keep both of them.
The Saints have signed exclusive-rights free agents Jonathan Amaya and Justin Drescher to their tenders.
Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said the fact the Bucs hired Ron Cooper from LSU to coach their secondary doesn’t mean it’s automatic the Bucs will draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. No, it’s not a given, but I think Claiborne is at least a possibility with the No. 5 overall pick.
Although he had some off-field issues earlier in college, North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins is on Carolina’s radar when it comes to the No. 9 overall pick. Jenkins had a fine showing at the combine and did a good job answering questions about the problems that got him kicked out of Florida earlier in his college career.
The New Orleans Saints continue negotiations to get quarterback Drew Brees signed to a new contract, but nothing is done yet. The Saints also have the option to put the franchise tag on Brees before Monday’s deadline, but that’s only a last resort. The Saints would rather complete a deal with Brees so that they would have the franchise tag available for guard Carl Nicks.
D. Orlando Ledbetter has his offseason depth chart for the Falcons. It’s fine as it stands right now, but changes will be coming in free agency. I’d be shocked if the chart looks like it does now in September and has Sam Baker and Will Svitek as the top two options at left tackle. He also doesn’t include free-agent cornerback Brent Grimes and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. I’ve got a hunch the Falcons will find a way to keep both of them.
The Saints have signed exclusive-rights free agents Jonathan Amaya and Justin Drescher to their tenders.
Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said the fact the Bucs hired Ron Cooper from LSU to coach their secondary doesn’t mean it’s automatic the Bucs will draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. No, it’s not a given, but I think Claiborne is at least a possibility with the No. 5 overall pick.
Although he had some off-field issues earlier in college, North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins is on Carolina’s radar when it comes to the No. 9 overall pick. Jenkins had a fine showing at the combine and did a good job answering questions about the problems that got him kicked out of Florida earlier in his college career.
No NFC South team faces a more challenging period between now and the start of free agency than the New Orleans Saints.
They have to find a way to re-sign quarterback Drew Brees, and there are at least a couple other players that it’s essential the Saints retain. They’ve also got some important role players and will need to find ways to keep several of them despite a difficult salary-cap situation.
Let’s take a look at New Orleans’ potential free agents. They’re all unrestricted, unless noted otherwise:
Brees, defensive end Jeff Charleston, receiver Marques Colston, linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin, tight end John Gilmore, tight end Tory Humphrey, kicker John Kasay, defensive end Turk McBride, offensive lineman Pat McQuistan, receiver Robert Meachem, guard Carl Nicks, cornerback Tracy Porter, receiver/return man Courtney Roby, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, cornerback Leigh Torrence, safety Jonathon Amaya (exclusive rights), receiver Adrian Arrington (exclusive rights), center Brian de la Puente (exclusive rights), offensive lineman Justin Drescher (exclusive rights), linebacker Jonathan Casillas (restricted), quarterback Chase Daniel (restricted) and linebacker Ramon Humber (restricted).
Whatever deal Brees signs, it’s likely he’ll take up somewhere around $15 million of the 2012 salary cap. But the Saints will have to continue to spend big money. It’s imperative they keep Nicks. He might be the best guard in the league and he’s Brees’ top protector. Keeping Colston also would seem to be a top priority because he’s one of Brees’ favorite targets.
Once the accounting is done on Brees, Nicks and Colston, the Saints will have to make some tough financial decisions. Porter and Meachem are important role players. But they could have market value elsewhere. The Saints might not be able to afford to keep them. That would hurt, but it might not be disastrous because the Saints have good depth at receiver and cornerback.
They have to find a way to re-sign quarterback Drew Brees, and there are at least a couple other players that it’s essential the Saints retain. They’ve also got some important role players and will need to find ways to keep several of them despite a difficult salary-cap situation.
Let’s take a look at New Orleans’ potential free agents. They’re all unrestricted, unless noted otherwise:
Brees, defensive end Jeff Charleston, receiver Marques Colston, linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin, tight end John Gilmore, tight end Tory Humphrey, kicker John Kasay, defensive end Turk McBride, offensive lineman Pat McQuistan, receiver Robert Meachem, guard Carl Nicks, cornerback Tracy Porter, receiver/return man Courtney Roby, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, cornerback Leigh Torrence, safety Jonathon Amaya (exclusive rights), receiver Adrian Arrington (exclusive rights), center Brian de la Puente (exclusive rights), offensive lineman Justin Drescher (exclusive rights), linebacker Jonathan Casillas (restricted), quarterback Chase Daniel (restricted) and linebacker Ramon Humber (restricted).
Whatever deal Brees signs, it’s likely he’ll take up somewhere around $15 million of the 2012 salary cap. But the Saints will have to continue to spend big money. It’s imperative they keep Nicks. He might be the best guard in the league and he’s Brees’ top protector. Keeping Colston also would seem to be a top priority because he’s one of Brees’ favorite targets.
Once the accounting is done on Brees, Nicks and Colston, the Saints will have to make some tough financial decisions. Porter and Meachem are important role players. But they could have market value elsewhere. The Saints might not be able to afford to keep them. That would hurt, but it might not be disastrous because the Saints have good depth at receiver and cornerback.
It’s been a fairly busy afternoon for transactions in the NFC South. A lot of that has to do with the calendar.
The deadline for restricted free agents to sign their tenders is Tuesday. Also, teams are about to conclude their offseason programs and players, coaches and front-office workers soon will be taking time off. So let’s round up what’s happened this afternoon.
New Orleans safety Roman Harper has signed his tender as a restricted free agent. That will guarantee him $2.5 million for this season.
Tampa Bay left tackle Donald Penn has refused to sign his tender. By not signing, Penn forfeits $100,000 of his potential salary.
The Falcons announced they’ve signed two of their draft picks. Center Joe Hawley, a fourth-round pick, and cornerback Dominique Franks, a fifth-round choice, have signed. The Falcons also released Dominique Daniels, Justin Drescher, Garrett Lindholm and Trey Bryant.
The Panthers reportedly have signed sixth-round pick David Gettis and seventh-round pick R.J. Stanford.
The deadline for restricted free agents to sign their tenders is Tuesday. Also, teams are about to conclude their offseason programs and players, coaches and front-office workers soon will be taking time off. So let’s round up what’s happened this afternoon.
New Orleans safety Roman Harper has signed his tender as a restricted free agent. That will guarantee him $2.5 million for this season.
Tampa Bay left tackle Donald Penn has refused to sign his tender. By not signing, Penn forfeits $100,000 of his potential salary.
The Falcons announced they’ve signed two of their draft picks. Center Joe Hawley, a fourth-round pick, and cornerback Dominique Franks, a fifth-round choice, have signed. The Falcons also released Dominique Daniels, Justin Drescher, Garrett Lindholm and Trey Bryant.
The Panthers reportedly have signed sixth-round pick David Gettis and seventh-round pick R.J. Stanford.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
