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Hello, and welcome to the first off-season edition of the Beej Knows Best. In this edition, we will touch upon the first order of business, which is the franchise tag.
As teams prepare scouting reports as the combine goes on, they are evaluating their roster and determining which players will get the franchise tag, a way for a team to retain a player with whom it cannot agree to a contract.
Each team only has one free agent to franchise tag, and this team gets to designate it to whomever it wants.
A franchise tagged player receives the average salary of the top five players at that position.
Last season, Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers, Alex Mack of the Cleveland Browns, Nick Folk of the New York Jets, Jason Worilds of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brian Orakpo of the Washington Redskins and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints received the franchise tag.
Some of them were able to receive a multi-year offer, whereas others were unable to receive them and instead accepted their one-year salary level and prepped for the upcoming off-season.
In this edition of the Beej Knows Best, I will identify the most likely candidates to receive the tag.
Without further ado, here is the list of the top candidates to receive the franchise tag.
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones has done a good job with extending those who have a serious impact on the team’s success. Tony Romo, and Tyron Smith have locked up to $100 million-plus contracts.
Additionally, Jones has been extremely efficient with his draft picks, and after the Morris Claiborne disaster has focused on addressing the holes as opposed to moving up for the “superstar potential.”
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant runs the ball. With his offensive skills, he has proven to be an asset to the Cowboys. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/AJ Guel
However, the Dallas offense is predicated on Romo being able to drop back and fling it to Bryant at will. This not only opens up the passing game to other targets, but also opens up the running game.
If Dallas were to lose Bryant in the off-season, their offense would suffer a massive blow that could eventually cost the team a playoff appearance.
Although Dallas is in a precarious position financially, I assume they will be ready and able to extend Bryant.
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos
Thomas is another wide receiver who has been one of the best in the league and is also up for free agency. However, several pundits have argued that Thomas has been such a success because of stellar quarterback play from Peyton Manning.
I disagree. Thomas has the perfect combination of size and catching ability to be an on-paper match-up disaster for defenses.
On the field, after watching the film, it becomes apparent that Thomas understands how to use this size to posture up against a smaller, weaker defensive back to gain position and not only make the catch, but gain yards after that make the difference in games.
Denver has two stars on offense up for free agency with Demaryius and Julius Thomas.
I believe that Julius’ offensive ability in the red-zone will be viewed as a commodity and not as a necessity. Meanwhile, Demaryius has been able to be a safety blanket for Manning at any point on the field. There is no guarantee that Manning will be back next season.
However, no matter who is quarterback for the Broncos, it is necessary that the number one wide out be retained for years to come.
I expect Denver to immediately tag Demaryius, with the hopes of reaching a long-term deal in the weeks to come.
Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs
There are a multitude of statistics easily available on Google that illustrate Houston’s importance to the Chiefs’ defense.
Whether it is quarterback knockdowns, hurries or plain old sacks, Houston has proven over the past two seasons that he is able to be a disruptive force along the defensive front seven.
Looking at the Chiefs’ roster, the biggest issues are on offense, specifically at the wide receiver position.
These issues can easily be clarified, with the help of a strong 2015 class at wide receiver.
What is difficult to predict or create is a bona fide pass-rushing superstar. That is what Houston can bring to the table.
With Manning injured, the Chiefs have the ability to take over the division and make a run towards the conference crown.
Expect them to lock up their defensive superstar, and then turn their attention to fixing what was one of the most anemic offenses in NFL history.
