The Franchise Tags

The deadline to place Franchise Tags on players passed yesterday. A lot of moves were expected, while others were a surprise. So to wrap this entire thing up; let’s look at who was franchised and what it means for the teams.

Philadelphia Eagles – Desean Jackson – There’s been a fair amount of debate on how wise it was for the Eagles to make this move given Jackson’s baggage. However, I would point to the game that Jackson had against the Giants in 2010 as the primary reason you franchise him. The fact is that Jackson is a difference maker. He’s speed and elusiveness is simply insane and he gives the passing game a true deep threat. I believe that last season was just a speed bump in his career (and that while averaging over 16 yards a catch). Good decision, now sign him long term.

Oakland Raiders – Tyson Branch – This move makes sense for the Raiders. Possibly the most consistent part of the secondary this year was the safeties and Michael Huff is already signed long-term. Branch is a solid hitter and athletic enough to make plays in the middle field. However, his strength is definitely lining up near the line of scrimmage. It’s curious that they would use the franchise tag when they’re still well over the cap limit, but it’s expected that they’ll deal with that issue before the beginning of free agency.

Atlanta Falcons – Brent Grimes – Given all the defensive players the Falcons stand to lose in free agency and the issues they’ve had keeping up with more explosive offenses, this was an obvious move. Grimes is their best coverage cornerback and would’ve demanded a lot in free agency. The Falcons still need to add on defense and work to re-sign some of their defensive free agents, but hanging onto Grimes makes their job a little easier, though he’s likely to hold out.

Baltimore Ravens – Ray Rice – Given how much the Ravens defense relies on Rice to stay on schedule, this was an obvious move. They’ll get something figured out for a long-term deal.

Chicago Bears – Matt Forte – See above.

Washington Redskins – Fred Davis – To a degree, this decision was a bit of surprise. Davis is coming off a four-game suspension related to a positive drug-test and is just one positive test away from missing an entire season. That being said, he’s also the only young reliable receiver the Redskins have. Santana Moss is getting up there in age and Chris Cooley has had trouble staying healthy in recent years.  All their other receivers are question marks. This move would allow the Redskins to have a year to see how Davis matures and protects them from the cap implication if they signed him longer term and he did something else stupid.

Kansas City Chiefs – Dwayne Bowe – This was no surprise. Dwayne Bowe has developed into one of the best young receivers in the NFL and the best receiver on the Chiefs by far. They need to get him locked up to a long term deal, but at least they now have time to work that out. 

New England Patriots – Wes Welker – Similar story to Bowe. Welker is tied with Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison for the most 100+ catch season with four and is likely to stand alone on top of that list after another year with Tom Brady. The Patriots need to break with tradition and sign him to a big contract that lasts for the rest of Brady’ career.

New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees – This was a mistake by the Saints. I understand that they’re trying to negotiate with Brees and keep some of their cap space, but now they run the extreme risk of losing other star players like Carl Nicks and Marques Colston. Brees is going to be signed either way, but they have a better chance of leaving because of this decision.

Dallas Cowboys – Anthony Spencer – This might surprise some people, but when you think about it, this is a good move. Spencer has not been a great pass rusher to this point, but he’s a solid all-around outside linebacker. It’s odd, because I think if he was a 4-3 outside linebacker, no one would argue with his production. But when you think about it, I think it’s smarter to have a guy like Spencer on the other side of a great pass rusher like Demarcus Ware for the long term than to continually be replacing dominant pass rushers or tying up a ton of cap space with two pass rushers. In simplest terms, Spencer the kind of player who can have occasional great seasons and be solid most of the time, which would allow the Cowboys to sign him long-term at a much cheaper rate than a guy like Mario Williams. He may never be great, but he’s good enough to pair with Ware at a cap friendly price.

Detroit Lions – Cliff Avril – Almost everyone around Detroit knew this was coming. The Lions have made Avril their top priority to re-sign and they’ll continue working to sign him to a long-term deal. However, they needed the insurance of having him back next year and that’s what this tagging was about. Avril had said he’ll holdout instead of play under the tag, but has always been amiable and professional about his reasoning. He’s simpe looking at the business side of things and saying that in his extremely finite time to play, he’s got to make all the money he can, a fair and true statement. He’s never bashed the Lions for implying or making this move, he’s just stated the facts of the business of the NFL. I think the Lions will find a way to get a long-term deal done.

Arizona Cardinals – Calais Campbell – Great decision by the Cardinals. Campbell isn’t known league-wide, but he’s one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. While he doesn’t put up the numbers that the more well-known pass rusher do, he puts up amazing numbers considering he’s a 3-4 defensive end. The Cardinals need to sign him to a long-term deal if they want to keep the foundation of their defense together.

San Francisco 49ers – Dashon Goldson – The 49ers had a pair of starting defensive backs reaching free agency this year and they decided that the home grown Goldson was more valuable to re-sign than Carlos Rogers. It makes sense because Goldson has been a blooming star for the past couple of years and is younger than Rogers. They likely still want to re-sign Rogers, but Goldson is more of the hitter the Jim Harbaugh values on his defense.

Tennessee Titans – Michael Griffin – This was the surprise of the franchise tag season. A lot of pundits expected that Griffin would be allowed to walk and that the Titans would not use their franchise tag at all, or if they did, it would be on more highly respected Cortland Finnegan. Honestly though, this was a smart move. Griffin has great talent and the Titans couldn’t allow three of their starters in the secondary to leave in free agency. They’re still working on a contract for Jordan Babineaux, but all indications are they’re letting Finnegan walk.  Whether or not Griffin gets a long-term deal is yet to be seen, but having him to help ease the transition in the secondary is a smart idea.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Connor Barth, Cincinnati Bengals – Mike Nugent, Cleveland Browns – Phil Dawson, Denver Broncos – Matt Prater, Jacksonville Jaguars – Josh Scobee, New York Giants – Steve Weatherford – Whoever says that special teams doesn’t matter clearly doesn’t spend a lot of time with these teams. Given the unpredictability of specialists, hanging onto the good ones is paramount. However given the uncertainty of how to value them, the franchise tag is often an easy solution.