More Top Receivers on the Move

While Chip Kelly finally exhaled, Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey stepped up to drive the free=agent market on Friday.

The Dolphins continued the resurgence of player-for-player trades by sending LB Dannell Ellerbe and a third-round pick to the Saints in exchange for WR Kenny Stills. Once Stills was secured, Miami dropped the other shoe by sending Mike Wallace and a seventh-round pick to the Vikings in return for a fifth-round selection.

“We are excited that we were able to acquire Kenny Stills,” Hickey said. “He is a talented, young and ascending player who has been very productive in his first two seasons in the league.”

The motivations for each team are clear. The Dolphins shed two big contracts, giving Miami some much needed salary cap relief after breaking the bank for Ndamukong Suh. But this was about more than money, as Ellerbe missed most of last season with a hip injury (and underperformed when healthy) and Wallace was unhappy with his role in the offense. Both players were candidates to be released prior to being traded.

For the Saints, this is about shifting assets from offense to defense. The key acquisition for New Orleans is really the third-round pick, which will almost certainly be used on defense. But Ellerbe, who will take a significant pay-cut as part of this deal, has a chance to replace the recently released Curtis Lofton at inside linebacker.

And for the Vikings, they get a deep-threat who appears to be a perfect fit in Norv Turner’s vertical passing game. Minnesota hoped Cordarrelle Patterson would be that player, but his sophomore season was nothing short of awful and any contributions he makes at this point must been seen as a bonus.

Speaking of Minnesota’s fizzled-out first-round picks, Percy Harvin also found a new home on Friday. He agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with Buffalo. New Bills head coach Rex Ryan coached Harvin in New York over the second half of last season; if he can maximize Harvin’s diverse skill-set, it would be a great way to stick it to the Jets.

Harvin was released after the Jets traded for Bears WR Brandson Marshall, as some of the game’s top pass catchers continue to play a high-stakes game of musical chairs.

Veteran Running Backs Keep Cashing Checks

Repeat after me: You find find good running backs in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft … or later.

Most astute followers of the NFL know this to be true, yet that is not reflected in this week’s headlines. The Cowboys signed RB Darren McFadden to a two-year contract, even though he has not averaged better than 3.4 yards per carry since 2011. The Steelers followed suit, adding 32-year-old DeAngelo Williams to back up Le’Veon Bell.

“I haven’t played in any Super Bowls,” Williams said, “and to know this is a Super Bowl-contending team and to help them make that offense even better, it excites me and I hope that it excites Steelers Nation. I know we’re going to do great things here.”

The Steelers made the playoffs last season, but had no chance to advance in the tournament after Bell injured his knee and was unable to play. So it only makes sense to add an “insurance policy” who has missed a quarter of his team’s games over the last six seasons, right?

Again, repeat after me: You find find good running backs in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft … or later.

Running backs age like bread, not like wine. There is no reason to overpay for veterans with thick medical files and minimal tread on their tires, especially when young talent is cheap and in abundance.

Need examples? C.J. Anderson, an undrafted free agent in 2013, averaged over 95 rushing yards per game over the second half of last season in Denver. Elsewhere in the AFC West, undrafted rookie Branden Oliver paced the Chargers with 853 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. Over in the NFC, Vikings RB Matt Asiata — an undrafted free agent in 2011 — scored more rushing touchdowns than Bell.

This year’s draft is loaded with talented middle-round running back prospects, including David Johnson (Northern Iowa), David Cobb (Minnesota), Cameron Artis-Payne (Auburn) and Josh Robinson (Mississippi State). These players are younger and more durable than veteran retreads like McFadden and Williams and come at only a fraction of the price.

Repeat after me: Well, you get the point. Now someone go clue in the Cowboys and Steelers.

Big Ben Starts the Clock Ticking

Unlike running backs, quarterbacks will always command top dollar. This offseason promises to provide even more evidence of that, as several premier signal-callers are in-line for extensions. The first domino in that line fell on Friday, as Ben Roethlisberger agreed to a new five-year deal with the Steelers.

“It’s home. It’s family,” Roethlisberger said. “As much as my wife and kids are family, so is the Rooney family and my team and coaches.”

The dollar figures of Roethlisberger’s new deal were not immediately available, but rest assured the Giants and Chargers are waiting eagerly to discover those details. That’s because Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who entered the league alongside Roethlisberger as members of the 2004 draft class, are both entering contract years.

The old-timers aren’t the only ones ready to cash in. Andrew Luck is expected to sign the biggest contract in league history at some point this offseason, while Russell Wilson and Cam Newton could also net extensions in excess of $100 million.

The quarterbacks have all the leverage in these negotiations. One look at the QB situations in Chicago, Buffalo, New York (Jets), Cleveland, Houston and Washington makes it clear that if any of these elite passers hit the open market, he would ignite a massive bidding war. The franchise tag, which gets 10 percent more expensive each time it is applied, can only buy a team so much time.

It has always been a quarterback-driven league, but that point will be emphasized all the more as soon as some of these mega-deals start rolling in. Big Ben was first; now, the clock is ticking for the Giants, Chargers, Colts, Seahawks and Panthers.

Want to talk more about these and other headlines? Join Michael Lombardo for his weekly NFL Chat on Friday at 2pm EST. But you do not have to wait until then … you can ask your question now!