Gregg Rosenthal: Veteran AFC & NFC Players Who Could Be Released

[26CornerBlitz]

Tyrod Taylor, DeMarco Murray among AFC cut candidates

Kirk Cousins is the belle of the free-agency ball. Alex Smith already found his new team. And the trio of Vikings quarterbacks set to hit free agency are being discussed to death -- all of which leaves Tyrod Tayloras the forgotten man in this offseason's quarterback puzzle.

That's largely because Taylor is a member of the Buffalo Bills, at least for now. Taylor is one of the big names on my annual list of veterans who could be released before the start of free agency. Last year's listincluded a few future Hall of Famers and the Super Bowl LII MVP. Below is a quick look at some of the AFC names on the bubble that could become available in free agency this year.

Strong Candidates for Release

1) Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills: Taylor accepted a restructured contract to remain the Bills' starter last offseason. He's not playing that game this time around, so the Bills will have to either use $18 million in cap room on Taylor or set him free. I believe Taylor is worth that money as a mid-level starter, but it will be tough for the Bills to attract anything more than a late-round pick for Taylor in a potential trade after they benched him for rookie Nathan Peterman ahead of a Week 11 game against the Chargers. Taylor's 2018 status was all but written that day in Los Angeles, despite the fact that he was quickly reinstated as the starter and helped Buffalo end its long playoff drought.

 

On the Bubble

3) Lorenzo Alexander, LB, Buffalo Bills: A fantastic story as a Pro Bowler in 2016, Alexander -- who will turn 35 in May -- came back to Earth last season.

Edited February 15, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz

[ALLEN1QB]

Yea both will be gone. No way they pay 18 mil for Taylor.

[billsfan_34]

Hey 26, I know this has been discussed but I am going to go on the record now.

 

- I dont want to over pay for a FA QB- Cousins worries me when the game is on the line

 

- Keeping TT and drafting our guy makes much more sense to me. Let a rook sit a year and learn. Heck, and if he beats out TT so be it, then we have a solid 2 while Peterman develops into a 2.

 

- We have a ton of holes, I would rather sit tight at 21 and take the best QB available wether it is Lamar Jackson or Mason Rudolph. Use the rest of our picks for the many holes we have and we all know what they are.

 

Go Bills

 

 

[26CornerBlitz]

1 minute ago, PIP said:

Yea both will be gone. No way they pay 18 mil for Taylor.

 

I believe Alexander will be around for 2018.  

[BillsFan130]

I thought Alexander signed a 1 year deal last year and was a free agent now?

 

Didn’t know he was still under contract for 2018

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, billsfan_34 said:

Hey 26, I know this has been discussed but I am going to go on the record now.

 

- I dont want to over pay for a FA QB- Cousins worries me when the game is on the line

 

- Keeping TT and drafting our guy makes much more sense to me. Let a rook sit a year and learn. Heck, and if he beats out TT so be it, then we have a solid 2 while Peterman develops into a 2.

 

- We have a ton of holes, I would rather sit tight at 21 and take the best QB available wether it is Lamar Jackson or Mason Rudolph. Use the rest of our picks for the many holes we have and we all know what they are.

 

Go Bills

 

You likely know that I don't want the Bills to pay the exorbitant cost it will take to sign Cousins in UFA.  It's possible they keep Taylor and I believe his fate will be determined in the March 12 time frame when teams are allowed to talk to pending UFAs.  IMO, the Bills should pony up and pay the price to get the guy they see as a potential franchise QB if there is a deal to be made. 

[thenorthremembers]

6 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

I believe Alexander will be around for 2018.  

 

I agree.  They will move him back to Defensive End.  I think it's more likely Hughes is gone than Lorax.

[K-9]

So benching Taylor for a half is what lowers his trade value? Rosenthal hasn't been paying attention.  Also, aTT and his agent were given the freedom to seek other options last off season befor they signed that new deal with the Bills. The only factor in determining his value is the complete body of work TT has established. 

[billsfan_34]

2 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

You likely know that I don't want the Bills to pay the exorbitant cost it will take to sign Cousins in UFA.  It's possible they keep Taylor and I believe his fate will be determined in the March 12 time frame when teams are allowed to talk to pending UFAs.  IMO, the Bills should pony up and pay the price to get the guy they see as a potential franchise QB if there is a deal to be made. 

I actually didnt know but seems were on the same page. He just is not worth 30 mil a year. 12 March will be very interesting for sure, lets hope the Bills have a good plan. Ya know, everyone wants TT to be a bonified number 1 but he just isnt. He is a great teammate and a solid 2 in this league and we need to upgrade at QB either by draft or FA- FA is going to be costly tho.

[LABILLBACKER]

11 minutes ago, K-9 said:

So benching Taylor for a half is what lowers his trade value? Rosenthal hasn't been paying attention.  Also, aTT and his agent were given the freedom to seek other options last off season befor they signed that new deal with the Bills. The only factor in determining his value is the complete body of work TT has established. 

TT has absolutely no NFL value to any other team other than as a backup. Last year his agent looked and found no interest. The only way I'd agree to keep Tyrod as a 2 yr bridge qb would be for him to agree to 14M and groom our 1st round qb @ 21.

[John from Riverside]

The media think much more of Tyrod Taylor then the fans do

[aristocrat]

Wilkerson for d tackle? 

[Mr. WEO]

I was thinking Ray Carruth, but then I remembered he was in the NFC....

[MiltonWaddams]

16 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

I was thinking Ray Carruth, but then I remembered he was in the NFC....

 I imagine this is related to the term "cuts", but you stretched it a bit far. You can do, and have done, better.

[White Linen]

30 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

TT has absolutely no NFL value to any other team other than as a backup. Last year his agent looked and found no interest. The only way I'd agree to keep Tyrod as a 2 yr bridge qb would be for him to agree to 14M and groom our 1st round qb @ 21.

 

Tyrod isn't a bridge QB though and you certainly don't want any young QB to be groomed by him.  That's not his game.  

 

He's a tough athletic freak that figures out a way to play NFL QB despite having little idea how to technically play the position.  WR's, TE's and O lineman don't learn how to play their position better when he's under center.   

[JohnC]

53 minutes ago, K-9 said:

So benching Taylor for a half is what lowers his trade value? Rosenthal hasn't been paying attention.  Also, aTT and his agent were given the freedom to seek other options last off season befor they signed that new deal with the Bills. The only factor in determining his value is the complete body of work TT has established.

I'm not saying this in a snarky way but it is his body of work that will reveal how little his value is in the market. 

 

My feeling on the Taylor issue is that he has been very diligent and loyal to the team and organization. If I had the authority I would allow him to go to the market and find the best deal for himself. Then I would make the deal even if he was given up for virtually nothing. He deserves that special consideration. 

[K-9]

Just now, JohnC said:

I'm not saying this in a snarky way but it is his body of work that will reveal how little his value is in the market. 

 

My feeling on the Taylor issue is that he has been very diligent and loyal to the team and organization. If I had the authority I would allow him to go to the market and find the best deal for himself. Then I would make the deal even if he was given up for virtually nothing. He deserves that special consideration. 

Right, his body of work will determine his value for whatever team signs him and for whatever they choose to sign him for, he regardless how much or how little that value ends up being. 

 

He and his agent were given permission to “go to the market” last year before they decided to take the Bills’ new deal. That spoke volumes at the time. I’m interested to see how much league perception has shifted since. 

[Fadingpain]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

So benching Taylor for a half is what lowers his trade value? Rosenthal hasn't been paying attention.  Also, aTT and his agent were given the freedom to seek other options last off season befor they signed that new deal with the Bills. The only factor in determining his value is the complete body of work TT has established. 

I have mentioned this fact 100 times on this forum, but a lot of folks don't seem to remember that little point.

 

Show me 10 Tyrod Taylor fans and I will show you 10 Buffalo Bills fans.

 

[Mr. WEO]

26 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said:

 I imagine this is related to the term "cuts", but you stretched it a bit far. You can do, and have done, better.

 

Maybe there are certain colors you can't see?

 

Gold, for instance?

[K-9]

2 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

I have mentioned this fact 100 times on this forum, but a lot of folks don't seem to remember that little point.

 

Show me 10 Tyrod Taylor fans and I will show you 10 Buffalo Bills fans.

 

I’m a Tyrod Taylor fan as well as a Bills fan and yet, I don’t happen to think he’s a very good QB. 

[Direhard Fan]

Too bad K-9.  I'm sorry.  I love TT and think 18m is really cheap for a leader.  We have too much dead money to afford the big buck QB in free agency.  Build the lines first and the rest will follow.

[nucci]

2 minutes ago, Direhard Fan said:

Too bad K-9.  I'm sorry.  I love TT and think 18m is really cheap for a leader.  We have too much dead money to afford the big buck QB in free agency.  Build the lines first and the rest will follow.

No, we don't

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

1 hour ago, John from Hemet said:

The media think much more of Tyrod Taylor then the fans do

That might just be because the media beyond Buffalo does not pay close attention.  

[Mark Vader]

1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

I believe Alexander will be around for 2018.  

So do I.

 

No reason to release Alexander. His cap hit is nothing to be concerned with.

 

Although they need to use him strictly as a pass rusher.

[K-9]

5 minutes ago, Direhard Fan said:

Too bad K-9.  I'm sorry.  I love TT and think 18m is really cheap for a leader.  We have too much dead money to afford the big buck QB in free agency.  Build the lines first and the rest will follow.

I can see valid reasons to keep him. But I don’t confuse that with thinking he’s a very good QB; just the best we have at the moment.

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, Mark Vader said:

So do I.

 

No reason to release Alexander. His cap hit is nothing to be concerned with.

 

Although they need to use him strictly as a pass rusher.

 

100% in agreement and you can add in his important role as a veteran leader who is highly respected. 

[John from Riverside]

2 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

That might just be because the media beyond Buffalo does not pay close attention.  

Im not argueing with that

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

1 hour ago, Mark Vader said:

So do I.

 

No reason to release Alexander. His cap hit is nothing to be concerned with.

 

Although they need to use him strictly as a pass rusher.

 

Agreed, at least carry him to training camp.  

[Beast]

I think it’s time to say goodbye to LorAx.

 

Better a year too early than a year too late.

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

That might just be because the media beyond Buffalo does not pay close attention.  

"Like to complain, whine, etc" is not same as "pay close attention" unless you like that kind of thing.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Just now, Limeaid said:

"Like to complain, whine, etc" is not same as "pay close attention" unless you like that kind of thing.

Here in the DC region Buffalo gets little respect even though their overall record is slightly better than the Skins and then when they made the playoffs you heard all sorts of incorrect “reporting” of facts.  

 

If they actually did some research they would not have reported the garbage. 

SMH ?‍♀️ 

[26CornerBlitz]

Now we have the NFC version from Rosenthal: Dez, Jordy among cut candidates across the NFL

 

Quinn would be a good candidate for the Bills if he is indeed released.

 

3) Robert Quinn, DE, Los Angeles Rams Quinn is only 27 years old, which helps explain why the Rams have been patient in hoping for him to recover the breathtaking form he showed so early in his career. Staying healthy in 2017 was a big step after two seasons plagued by back issues and other injuries, but he wasn't the snap-to-snap force he was before. It would cost the Rams $12.4 million against the cap in 2018 to see if Quinn can recapture his old magic. With as much cap space as there seems to be around the league, that sounds like a fair price.

[26CornerBlitz]

Rapsheet expecting a trade of Taylor as opposed to him being released.

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[NastyNateSoldiers]

On 2/13/2018 at 8:58 PM, billsfan_34 said:

Hey 26, I know this has been discussed but I am going to go on the record now.

 

- I dont want to over pay for a FA QB- Cousins worries me when the game is on the line

 

- Keeping TT and drafting our guy makes much more sense to me. Let a rook sit a year and learn. Heck, and if he beats out TT so be it, then we have a solid 2 while Peterman develops into a 2.

 

- We have a ton of holes, I would rather sit tight at 21 and take the best QB available wether it is Lamar Jackson or Mason Rudolph. Use the rest of our picks for the many holes we have and we all know what they are.

 

Go Bills

 

 

Do u have any other reason other then holes on the team to settle for Rudolph or Jackson?  If we waited to fix all our holes before making a bold move for a true franchise caliber QB. We will be waiting forever.  

[boyst]

Alexander was much slower in 2017. He did not seem to have the presence of mind 2 complete the plays as necessary, but it also was a lack of football ability relating to speed essentially and quickness. If he is back in 2018 it will be because his abilities to still contribute on special teams and being a nice guy

 

But I don't want him back, we can have a younger fella bring the same to the table

[billsfan_34]

6 hours ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

Do u have any other reason other then holes on the team to settle for Rudolph or Jackson?  If we waited to fix all our holes before making a bold move for a true franchise caliber QB. We will be waiting forever.  

When you overpay for a qb wether its FA or sellin the farm for a higher pick it can get a franchise in serious trouble- high risk high reward. See Aaron Rodger when he went down this year. A top qb masks many things but when he goes down, buyer beware. Just my opinion

[FLFan]

On 2/13/2018 at 2:00 PM, billsfan11 said:

I thought Alexander signed a 1 year deal last year and was a free agent now?

 

Didn’t know he was still under contract for 2018

It is a two year deal and not big money. He still has great value as a situational player, special teamer, and locker room leader. Not going anywhere. 

[NastyNateSoldiers]

6 hours ago, billsfan_34 said:

When you overpay for a qb wether its FA or sellin the farm for a higher pick it can get a franchise in serious trouble- high risk high reward. See Aaron Rodger when he went down this year. A top qb masks many things but when he goes down, buyer beware. Just my opinion

In my opinion in most cases your damned if u do damned if u don't.  If u have a feel for what u want then u go get it and live with the results. All I'm saying is don't let holes at other positions get in the way.