Seven Step Drop — 12/04/2017
Welcome to another edition of Seven Step Drop; a weekly blog reporting, analysing, and discussing news and views from around the NFL! Published every Wednesday right through the season until Super Bowl LII next year, Seven Step Drop brings you insights and opinions from Sports Under Centre. So let’s delve into this week’s drops!
1 — Big Ben returns
Ben Roethlisberger officially announced last Friday that he would play in 2017. Although we never really doubted that Roethlisberger would play this season, his mulling of retirement after last year raises a serious issue for the Steelers. Roethlisberger has missed six games over the past two seasons and backup Landry Jones cannot carry the team by himself. Head coach Mike Tomlin said this offseason that the Steelers have been doing “dry run” diligence on potential successors for a number of years, but just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It’s likely that when Pittsburgh do draft a young quarterback, we will see a Favre-Rodgers situation where the rookie sits behind Ben for a year or two before taking over when he eventually retires. As I said in an article back in March, I think California’s Davis Webb would be the best choice for Pittsburgh.
2 — Richard Sherman rumours
The Richard Sherman saga continues to roll. The Patriots had reportedly been interested in acquiring Sherman if they lost Malcolm Butler, but have since withdrawn their interest. Seattle’s asking price could have changed Bill Belichick’s mind, as the Seahawks reportedly wanted a top player as well as a first round pick for the four time Pro Bowler. That price has now been downgraded to a first rounder and a fourth, similar to the 2013 deal that sent Darrelle Revis sent to Tampa Bay by the Jets. But the most intriguing development is that Sherman was apparently the one who got the ball rolling and wants out of Seattle. With so many rumours flying around, it’s hard to see what the outcome will be. Ultimately, expect Sherman to stay put, as I can’t see a team willing to pay such a high price while such a deep defensive back Draft class is on the table.
3 — Marshawn Lynch in The Patriot Way?
The Marshawn Lynch un-retirement rumour mill continues to churn. Just when things seemed to have slowed down, Lynch privately expressed interest in playing for the New England Patriots if negotiations with his home-town Raiders fell through. The possibility of Lynch lining up behind Tom Brady is a tantalising prospect, but it also puts more pressure on LeGarrette Blount to sign the offer that is on the table from the Patriots.
4 — AP in NOLA?
In other free agent running back news, Adrian Peterson visited the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday; his third visit this offseason. Although Peterson once again left without a deal, dialogue between his camp and the Saints will reportedly continue. But is Peterson a fit? Not really. Quarterback Drew Brees is the focus of the New Orleans offense, and already has Mark Ingram in the backfield as a power back. Unlike Peterson, Ingram can also catch the ball and contribute as a pass protector. Peterson doesn’t excel at either. Committing cap space to Peterson also takes away potential resources the Saints could use to add depth on defense. General manager Mickey Loomis is already on the hot seat, so risking his job even more by signing Peterson makes little sense.
5 — Desmond Trufant’s extension
On Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons extended cornerback Desmond Trufant, who signed a five year, $69 million deal. Trufant missed most of last season after a shoulder injury in Week 9, and was absent during Atlanta’s Super Bowl run while on injured reserve. However, Trufant has quietly been one of the league’s best lockdown corners since 2013. With Trufant’s return on a young defense that may boast even more talent after the Draft, the Falcons are poised to avoid the dreaded Super Bowl slump. Next up for general manager Thomas Dimitroff? Reaching a deal with running back Devonta Freeman.
6 — Bill Belichick’s Draft strategy
This year’s Draft is loaded with defensive talent as well as being stacked with running backs. Yet after an aggressive offseason involving multiple trades, the Patriots do not have a pick until the third round (#72). In a Draft with so much talent, I find it hard to believe that Belichick would sacrifice so many picks without a plan for getting some back. So I don’t buy the rumours that Belichick wants to keep Jimmy Garoppolo or Malcolm Butler when he knows he could recoup some valuable picks by trading one or even both of them. Trading Garoppolo to the Browns for a first and second rounder would be perfect for both parties, while trading Butler to New Orleans to recapture the 32nd overall pick (or even a high second rounder) would easily allow Belichick to replace him with a younger, cheaper and better corner to pair with Stephon Gilmore. Expect ‘Trader Bill’ to find a way back in to the top two rounds.
7 — Trade Timing
Another opinion on Belichick this offseason; he traded for tight end Dwayne Allen at exactly the right time. The former Colt signing a four year, $29 million deal prior to last season under the old Grigson regime in Indianapolis. New general manager Chris Ballard invested in Jack Doyle, making Allen expendable. So Allen and a 6th rounder were sent to New England in exchange for a 4th. The beauty of the deal is that the Colts have already paid for the most expensive year of Allen’s contract ($8.9 million in 2016). Allen’s next three cap hits? $4.9 million this season, $5 million next year, and $7.4 million in 2019. However, due to the terms of the contract, the Patriots could cut Allen after this season and not incur any dead money. More genius from Belichick.
