It’s a New League Year—Eleventh-Hour Thoughts
Byron Lambert, RosterWatch.com

Even with a new front office, the Jets have made it clear Mark Sanchez is their man for one more year. Sorry Jets fans, you aren’t getting any legitimate competition this year (the rest of the AFC East laughs)- you get David Garrard. New Jets GM John Idzik and Rex Ryan told us directly there weren’t going to be any major overhauls at the QB position. We will see depth-moves disguised as competition. Bottom line—the team wants to ride out their big investment in Sanchez because they don’t see any surefire options in free agency or the draft. Expect them to pass on Geno Smith in April if he is available. The organization does not want another QB circus in 2013.

Mike Wallace cannot replace superstar Percy Harvin in Minnesota. He would be a nice start, but only a complimentary piece. How the Vikings could ever pay Mike Wallace the type of money they wouldn’t pay Harvin would be mind-boggling. Miami is the ideal destination for a Ferrari like Wallace. The pieces are in place so that he comes in as the perfect vertical compliment. The sun, the warm weather—streaking down the field in teal and orange. It just sounds right.

Tight end needy teams like the Bears need to forget about high-priced Jared Cook, and move in on the bargain that will be Fred Davis. He is really good in the pass-catching department and still very young.

It’s been our theory for a while. Browns insider Vic Carucci liked it. Cleveland has a good young defense, they need to bolster it by moving in strong on Paul Kruger. They have the money. It allows them to draft the best player available with their first pick in April. Which, is exactly what they need. After passing on Julio Jones and Justin Blackmon, Browns fans could at least start daydreaming about Cordarrelle Patterson.

After letting Aquan Boldin walk, the Ravens have clearly chosen to rebuild. Don’t be surprised to see Ed Reed, Bryant McKinnie, and other key veterans follow suit. Perhaps, that would enable Baltimore to keep Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger. However, we cannot forget about Courtney Upshaw. Ozzie Newsome drafted him for this (The eventual loss of Kruger.)

The Texans finally got rid of Kevin Walter, thank God. Now it’s time to say goodbye to Connor Barwin. He’s a good player and a team guy, but not a game changer. They’ve let Mario Williams go and replaced him, it should be the same exercise with Barwin. Kubiak knew it, the coaching staff had Barwin spend a lot of time providing one on one instruction to first round draft pick Whitney Mercilus, during camp last summer. The team should use the money they save on Barwin and move in on Danario Alexander on the high-end or Domenik Hixon on the low-end to help the receiving corps.

It’s time for the Raiders to put the screws to Darren McFadden. He’s owed almost 10 million dollars this year and hits free agency next year. The team could free up quite a bit of money by cutting him. First, they should ask him to be a team player and do an extension that reduces his financial impact this year and in the immediate future. DMC made a ton of money on his antiquated rookie contract, and he hasn’t played an entire season in his career. If he won’t do a new deal, then Oakland should attempt to trade him for a middle-round pick that they desperately need. Worst case—flat out cut him. Bring in a cheaper, just as injury prone, talented replacement like Rashard Mendenhall or Beanie Wells and lock up Mike Goodson. That would be a nice, inexpensive backfield.

Rashard Mendenhall would also look really good in Detroit, Indianapolis, Atlanta, or Denver. We like him as a FA steal. Ahmad Bradshaw would be a perfect fit in Green Bay. They only need 15-18 touches per game, and if he gets hurt we’ve seen the Packers are not overly-reliant on the RB position.

If your team needs an offensive tackle, this is the year. There are several top shelf prospects in the draft, and a whole slew of them in free agency. Teams like Chicago, St. Louis, Arizona, and Philadelphia have no excuses this year when their quarterbacks are getting rag dolled. We like Phil Loadholt. We’re worried Andre Smith will eat himself out of the league once he gets paid. If you can get a deal on Jake Long and pray that he stays healthy, he could be a steal. Bryant McKinnie is always a conditioning liability during training camp and early in the season, but he proved once again he dominates late in the season. Playoff teams would be wise to take notice. Vollmer, Cherilus, Bushrod, the free agent list goes on.

Greg Jennings will be a nice pro-bowl caliber talent for some team. He just doesn’t have the size, youth, or explosive ability to warrant huge money. I’d rather see him in Minnesota because of the scheme—or somewhere that only needs a solid 1B or 2A WR.

The veteran FA pass rusher crop, is a good one. Smart playoff-type teams will move in on Osi, Abraham, and Freeney if the money is right.

For some reason, Saints DT Sederick Ellis strikes me as a possible FA steal. He’s young, and was touted as super-athletic just a few years ago when draft highly in the first round. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see what materializes with aging interior veterans such as Richard Seymour, Chris Canty, and Cullen Jenkins. Fans should hope their teams don’t overpay for any of these guys.

Chase Daniel is the other Saints FA that we like. In an economy of quarterback shortages, the demand exists. Daniel has been surgical in relief of Drew Brees. He’s also shown good leadership and the ability to take command of the offense. While he is probably best suited to play in a dome, teams that need depth at the position and want to put pressure on the average starter they currently have should take a long look at Daniel. Minnesota anyone?

NFL fans have to love the Cold War going on between San Francisco and Seattle. Tit for Tat. Percy Harvin will never feel unappreciated or under-used under Pete Carroll. He will be fired up, scoring tons of monster touchdowns in those electric green sea alien uniforms. Anquan Boldin fits the physical, nasty style of the Niners. He is not exactly what they need at receiver though. He’s a bit of a Redundant Man of Redundancy, when you look at the skill sets of Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Still, it’s an awesome move for a two-time Superbowl veteran that just beat you by making critical plays. San Fran will need second year player AJ Jenkins to develop as a deep threat on the perimeter.

Darrelle Revis makes better fantasy by the bay than reality. The fact is the team has a ton of Pro Bowl players they will be shelling out huge coin to in the next few years. They can ill-afford to tie up a boatload of cash in one defensive back, when they already have a great defense. In an Anquan Boldin type move, Ed Reed would make much more sense in San Francisco.