As the off-season talent derby completed the second of its three legs, many NFL teams took time out after the draft to conduct full-squad minicamps.
Such minicamps give the teams a chance to evaluate their rosters after the
primary free-agency period in February and March and the draft of college
talent in April.
|  | | Steve Beuerlein may be brought in to push Redskins starting quarterback Jeff George. |
Most teams -- even the contenders -- find they still have work to do before
training camp begins. The majority of the holes have been plugged by now, but
rosters remain a work-in-progress.
Unfortunately, the original list of free agents looks more picked over than a press box food spread. Sure, there's a Mike Mamula here and a Cortez Kennedy there, but for the most part there isn't enough talent -- or salary cap room -- to fill all the holes that exist.
Fortunately, there is one last chance for gas before teams enter training
camp. The secondary free-agency period created by the usual June 1 cuts means
some still-productive and moderately priced veterans will hit the market, giving teams one final chance to plug leaks.
As the Ravens and Giants showed last year, judicious use of free agency can
lead to the Super Bowl. In recent years, teams have been better off with
mid-level free agents who fill unexpected holes instead of big-ticket free
agents who take up more salary cap space than they're worth.
Some NFC teams -- the Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Bears, Cowboys and
49ers come to mind -- have too many holes to fill in one off-season and are
at least another year away from contention. For the rest, however, there are
still a few items on the off-season to-do list that could mean the difference
between going to the playoffs or watching them on television.
New York Giants. The NFC champions re-signed cornerback Jason Sehorn and halfback Tiki
Barber, then signed free agent defensive end Kenny Holmes, which meant they didn't have any glaring holes in their Super Bowl lineup. There are, however,
some areas that need shoring up before the season begins.
Howard Cross is a serviceable tight end, but he's not getting any younger and the team could use some help there after the departure of Pete Mitchell.
After drafting cornerbacks with their first two picks, the Giants are thin at
linebacker and on the offensive line. Advanced age makes the offensive line
particularly vulnerable, and the Giants did nothing in the draft to provide
depth there.
Philadelphia Eagles. |  | | Freddie Mitchell gives Philly another playmaker. |
Between re-signing Brandon Whiting, signing free agent N.D. Kalu and drafting Derrick Burgess in the third round, the Eagles made Mamula expendable at defensive end. They also erased their biggest weakness by
drafting playmaking wide receiver Freddie Mitchell in the first round.
Finding a backup for halfback Duce Staley is the biggest remaining concern for coach Andy Reid. Staley's recovery from foot surgery is going well, but
the running game disappeared after he got hurt last year. There's no
guarantee that fourth-round pick Correll Buckhalter will be ready, so the Eagles are seeking a veteran back at the right price. Unless one shakes loose
after June 1, there's not a lot out there.
Washington Redskins. The Redskins had only five draft picks, but plugged major holes with wide
receiver Rod Gardner in the first round and cornerback Fred Smoot in the second. Unfortunately for coach Marty Schottenheimer, there are still plenty of holes to fill after February's purge of high-priced talent.
The most important spots are the guards, where starters Tre Johnson and Keith Sims are gone. The Redskins hope to re-sign Jay Leeuwenberg, but, despite a tight salary cap, will probably be scanning the free-agent list for
a starting-quality guard. A veteran quarterback such as Steve Beuerlein or Trent Dilfer could also be brought in to push Jeff George.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a productive off-season, the Bucs have seemingly filled every hole
they had, so much so that they are considered the leader in the NFC clubhouse.
First, they dove into the free-agent pool by signing quarterback Brad Johnson
and defensive end Simeon Rice. Then, they re-upped with right offensive tackle Jerry Wunsch and cornerback Ronde Barber. And by trading up in the
first round and securing Kenyatta Walker, they solved their nagging problem
at left offensive tackle.
Free agency claimed free safety Damien Robinson, but fourth-round pick John Howell could push Dexter Jackson, who inherited the job. About the only thing the Bucs could use would be a deep threat at wide receiver, but it's doubtful
they'll be able to find anyone who fits that description at this late date.
Green Bay Packers. The Packers re-signed "A" list free agents Darren Sharper and Ryan
Longwell, pursuaded a handful of veterans to restructure their contracts and
then hit all of their needs in the draft except one -- defensive tackle. The
team admitted to a need there when it attempted to trade up for Gerard
Warren, then ignored the position in subsequent rounds.
The current group includes Santana Dotson and Steve Warren, who are
questionable for the start of the season after quad surgery, aging Russell
Maryland, talented but inconsistent Cletidus Hunt and one-time hero Gilbert
Brown, who sat out last season after his weight ballooned to 380. Brown has
returned 40 pounds lighter, but look for Bears cap casualty Jim Flanigan, who grew up near Green Bay, to be brought in anyway.
Detroit Lions. |  | | Jerry Rice could join Detroit's receiving corps. |
The Lions addressed their woeful offensive line with their top two draft
picks, alleviated their shortage at cornerback by signing free agent Todd
Lyght and found a quarterback (Mike McMahon) to groom should oft-injured Charlie Batch fizzle out. That leaves one defensive end spot as the focal point of the next free agency period. Tracy Scroggins could be re-signed to play the position, but Bucs cap casualty Chidi Ahanotu is another possibility.
If wide receiver Herman Moore doesn't accept a paycut, he could be cut after June 1, which would pave the way for the Lions to sign Jerry Rice. The Lions have some cap money to play with, so they also could be looking at depth at guard, safety and linebacker after June 1.
Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings' starting lineup gets more depleted every year, but a tight cap situation might prevent them from being a player in the second tier of free agency. That's unfortunate because the Vikings have more holes than any other NFC contender.
Coach Dennis Green used his first-round pick for Michael Bennett, Robert
Smith's replacement, and concentrated on his decimated defensive line by
signing free agent Lance Johnstone and drafting Willie Howard and Shawn Worthen. But Green's protests aside, the Vikings have at least four starters -- offensive tackle Brad Badger, linebacker Lemanski Hall, safety Tyrone Carter and cornerback Wasswa Serwanga -- who should be replaced. Since
cornerback was the defense's Achilles' heel last year, look for the Vikings to go after a veteran corner such as James Hasty, DeRon Jenkins or Dale
Carter, if he is released by the Broncos.
New Orleans Saints. The Saints wanted to draft a wide receiver in the second round but got outmaneuvered by the Dolphins for Chris Chambers. Despite the signing of ex-Redskin Albert Connell and the re-signing of playoff-sensation Willie Jackson, wide receiver remains a concern.
Kicker, too, has a vacancy after the Saints cut Doug Brien. They are actively shopping for a replacement. Could Morten Andersen return to New Orleans?
St. Louis Rams. The Rams junked the defense that allowed a league-high 29.4 points per game, keeping only three starters. Prior to the draft, the Rams signed safety Kim Herring and linebacker Mark Fields in free agency and traded two draft
picks to the Cardinals for cornerback Aeneas Williams, a perennial Pro Bowler. Then they used their five picks in the top 83 for defensive players, including potential starters Damione Lewis and Ryan Pickett at tackle, Tommy Polley at linebacker and Adam Archuleta at safety.
That leaves one open defensive end spot, where the tag team of Sean Moran and Leonard Little doesn't fit anyone's description of a replacement for Kevin Carter. The Rams signed ex-Giant Cedric Jones and ex-Buc Tyoka Jackson, but the position is far from filled.
Some of the holes that still exist for the contenders will be filled by players that aren't currently on the market. However, a fair number of players will be turned loose because there are salary-cap advantages to releasing them after June 1 and because teams need cap room to sign their rookies.
There won't be a glut of talent that suddenly hits the market, but a shrewd team with cap room can fill one or two holes that might otherwise prevent it from going to the playoffs.
Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal writes a weekly NFC column every other Thursday for ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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