Muhammad Wilkerson

Veterans who should be traded

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , , , ,

The draft is done with and we have had close to a week to dissect each and every move. That means that there are several players out there that could be looking for a new job very shortly. Teams always prefer younger players for their potential and hopeful longevity. That means they are more than willing to force a couple of the older guys out the door. However, not every veteran who might be replaced should be cut as some still have great value. Here are some of the veterans that should be shopped around the league with their replacements already on board.

Morris Claiborne, Dallas
The Cowboys tabbed Byron Jones as their first round pick in 2015. With Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick already in place, Jones figures to be the nickel corner for the time being. That means that former first round selection, Morris Claiborne finds himself on the bench. Three years after Dallas drafted him the top ten, Claiborne has failed to develop into the bona-fide lock down corner the team expected. He is still young at only 25-years-old, meaning there will surely be a team willing to take a gamble on him. Kansas City is in need of some new blood at corner and Cleveland needs a replacement for Buster Skrine. Both teams could be a fit for the out of favor Claiborne.

Malik Jackson, Denver
With Demarcus Ware, Von Miller and now Shane Ray on Denver’s roster, the Broncos will want to find a way to get them all on the field. That could mean moving one of those pass rushers to a down lineman to get everyone more snaps. Derek Wolfe is locked in on the line meaning Malik Jackson could find himself losing out on passing situations. Jackson only tallied three sacks a season ago so his role as a pass rusher is clearly small. He is a great run stuffer though and can still make a big impact on games. I don’t know if Denver should move him but if I’m Jackson, I might want to be moved.

Muhammad Wilkerson, New York (Jets)
I wrote about this last week. Muhammed Wilkerson’s days as a Jet are numbered. It’s unfortunate because if how talented he is but the team is not ready to pay him what he is asking for and just drafted Leonard Williams to essentially take his place. Williams obviously needs some time to develop before he even comes close to reaching Wilkerson’s level of play but as the latter enters the final year of his contract, the pressure will be on to get some value for him. Kansas City desperately needs a run stuffer to aid their defense. Rob Ryan could also use some help in New Orleans to turn the Saints’ terrible defensive unit around.

Micah Hide, Green Bay
When you draft a safety in the first round two years in a row, that usually means you weren’t overly satisfied with the guys who were there before. Micah Hide has been solid for the Packers in spurts but now sitting behind several younger, fresher faces in Wisconsin, he will likely not be seeing the field. Atlanta is still seeking depth at safety even following the draft. The Falcons allowed the most yards per attempt a season ago. Pittsburgh could be a wise fit as well after losing Troy Polamalu to retirement.

Andre Smith, Cinncinnati
Andrew Whitworth challenged the Bengals to draft his replacement in this year’s draft. Cincinnati ended up drafting two different tackles with their first two picks. However, I think it could be Andre Smith on the other side of the line who’s tenure in Ohio is in danger of ending. Smith tore his triceps muscle last season and is still continuing to rehab. Word is he is recovering well meaning his value would still be there in a trade. The Jets desperately need some help on the right side of their line after allowing 47 sacks last season so they could definitely be in play. The Titans have a rookie slotted to play at right tackle right now and after allowing even more sacks than New York a year ago, acquiring Smith might be a really smart decision.

Trade bait?

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NFL , ,

After all the hype and speculation of who was going to be traded where and what team was going to offer the Titans the best deal, nothing really happened. We saw two trades last night, neither of them were blockbusters and the most one team moved was five spots. That being said, there were some more surprising picks last night. Two in particular stand out because it could very well mean that the trade block found a few new players. Muhammad Wilkerson and Zac Stacy both could find themselves on the move in the next few days with their teams adding Leonard Williams and Todd Gurley respectively. It makes you wonder what the best fit would be for these players on another team.

Zac StacyLet’s start with Stacy. He actually already demanded a trade from the Rams. Not exactly surprising when the entire world touts Gurley as the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. Stacy hasn’t had a whole lot of opportunities to showcase his skills only receiving 326 carries in 27 games played. He likely isn’t a starting caliber running back quite yet but he is a nice change of pace back. The issue for Stacy is that this is one of the best running back drafts in recent memory. There is a whole lot of depth throughout with Jay Ajayi, Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, T.J Yeldon and Ameer Abdullah all still on the board. Once day 3 rolls around and most of those guys are gone, that’s when we could start seeing a market for Stacy open up.

With that said, there are a couple of teams that Stacy would probably fit well on assuming they don’t draft a running back first. Dallas would certainly be an option as the Cowboys head into the season with Darren McFadden as their starter. I think Stacy and McFadden could form a nice blend of speed and power. Stacy’s presence would also limit that amount that McFadden would have to carry the football, which is ideal with his injury history. Stacy would be an upgrade over Lance Dunbar or Joseph Randle and he would receive a massive upgrade along the offensive line. It would also offer him the potential to start one day if McFadden is injured or once McFadden’s two-year deal with Dallas is up.

Another team that could warmly welcome Stacy would be the Miami Dolphins. Miami will likely target one of the runners in the draft but if they aren’t able to pick one they like, Stacy could be a nice consolation. The Dolphins have three running backs under contract but with the frustration surrounding Lamarr Miller and two other players who haven’t shown any real promise, Stacy would compete for the starting job. If nothing else, he should push Miller to perform better and be part of a running back committee. If Day 3 rolls around of the draft and the Fins are still looking for a back, don’t be surprised if we find out Stacy was swapped for a fourth or fifth round pick.

Muhammad_WilkersonNow over to Wilkerson. He has been the Jets best player for the better part of the last two years but he is in a contract dispute with the team and seems a bit disgruntled. That would make this the perfect time to move him for New York, with Williams essentially brought in to take his place. With 24 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 30 run stuffs in his 61 game career, Wilkerson is one of the best young defensive lineman in the league. He does not rank as highly as J.J. Watt or Ndamukong Suh but he is in that next tier. An easy fit for the 25-year old Wilkerson would be New Orleans, where he would play for the other Ryan brother, Rob. The Saints were one of the worst teams against the run a season ago and with rumors that the team does not plan to keep outside linebacker Junior Galette, he could be a trading piece. Swapping Wilkerson for Galette and a couple of early round picks could be a good deal for the Jets. Galette has registered 22 sacks in the last two seasons and would certainly aid the Jets pass rush.

Another team that could be in the mix for Mo would be Kansas City. The Chiefs ranked 28th in the league last year and allowed 4.7 yards per carry. Wilkerson is a massive run stuffer and pairing him with Dontari Poe would make that front line dominant against the run. The Chiefs would obviously need to give up something in return. Two possible scenarios would be either Tamba Hali and a couple of draft picks or Justin Houston. Hali is much older so the picks would need to be high. However, with Houston, this could be a straight swap. He is currently on the franchise tag and seeking a new deal the Chiefs are not currently able to give him. Sending him to New York in exchange for another top defensive player, who will likely cost less than Houston to keep, would be a smart idea. The Jets could need to throw in a mid-round draft pick to truly make it even but both are elite defensive players.

The NFL is full of surprises and there will plenty more over the next two days. Just keep an eye for some players to be on the move too, in addition to just draft picks.

NFL Cornerstones: Defensive End

Chris McGlynn Cornerstones, Football, NFL , , , , ,

Cornerstone players will be a recurring theme on Second Look Sports where I look at each position in a certain sport and I choose a cornerstone player to build my franchise around. I have a couple of parameters for this selection though. I will factor in age, potential, injury history, experience, reputation and production. I think this should be a fun and interesting topic to discuss on here. I hope you guys agree.

The selection- J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Honorable mentions- Jason Pierre-Paul, Ryan Kerrigan, Robert Quinn, Junior Galette, Muhammad Wilkerson

Defensive ends in the NFL tend to be some of the most athletic, physically built human beings alive. They fly around the line of scrimmage with the intent to blow up plays and create problems for the offense at the point of attack. No one does that better than J.J. Watt. The Texans’ defensive end has been arguably the best player in the NFL over the past three years. He definitely has been on the defensive side of the ball, earning the Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2012 and 2014. Watt, at only 25 years old, has years to come of playing at an elite level. He has proven his worth in the NFL.
Watt over the course of his career has racked up 57 sacks. In just four seasons, that is an incredible number. He is averaging just over 14 quarterback takedowns per year. Watt also penciled himself into NFL history this season. The three time All-Pro became the first player in the league history to record multiple 20+ sack seasons. Watt is a menace along the line of scrimmage even when he cannot reach the quarterback. He has tallied 37 tipped passes at the line, including 10 this past season, most among defensive linemen this year.

As a run defender, Watt has proven his worth as well. The 3-time Pro Bowler has registered 53 run stuffs in the past 3 seasons. Each year he has recorded at least 15 as well showing his consistency dominance at the line of scrimmage. He is strong enough to hold off offensive linemen, disrupting the flow of the rushing attack. Watt’s 79 total tackles were the most by a defensive lineman in 2014. He has a knack for flying around and making plays.

The Houston superstar seems to thrive on the big plays as well. Watt has generated four fumbles over each of the past three seasons. He also led the NFL this year in fumble recoveries with five. Watt even pulled in an interception, which, along with one of his fumble recoveries, he returned for a touchdown. Watt had two defensive touchdowns this year, not to mention three more on offense as a tight end. That is a testament to Watt’s versatility and freakish athletic ability.

Watt truly has very few weaknesses. He is an elite pass rusher and a dominant run defender. He creates big plays that take the pressure off the offense. He kills drives with his batted passes. Watt has managed to find a way to do it all. The other thing that makes him invaluable is his consistency. He has registered at least 10 sacks in each of the past 3 campaigns. He has tallied the same number of forced fumbles. Watt does not have amazing years every now and then. He, year in year out lays down an unparalleled level of punishment on his opponents. Watt off the field is an excellent face of the franchise. He has never had any issues with the media or with his teammates. He is an intense leader that expects the same level of hard work that he puts in from everyone else.

Plenty of other defensive linemen in the NFL are playing a high level and making a huge impact on their team. The reality is thought that Watt plays on a completely different level all of his own. He rarely dominants a certain category on the stat sheet. He is much more likely to rank in the top three of every relevant category though at his position. He is a complete player. Many prospects joining the league now are better suited as either a run defender or a pass rusher. It is uncommon to find a player who ranks among the elite at both. Watt is one of those rare players who fits both labels making him a no-brainer at this selection.

For more Cornerstone selections, click here.