by Paul Wanecski
Just because you have an insane amount of cap space doesn’t mean you let players make more money than they should. The Colts are going to look at the long term prospects of players and will be very aggressive in free agency. While they do have plenty of money to throw around, two unwise investments could cripple them in the seasons down the line. Not only that, they could go into free agency and make some serious moves and with the restructuring of current roster players contracts, they would position themselves for a decent cap rollover to be able to do that same thing next season.
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by Paul Wanecski
Peyton Manning is returning for 2015. Gary Kubiak is the new head coach and he brings along with him a very seasoned staff. The Broncos are about to go through a major transformation on the field with one of the best quarterbacks of the past few generations returning for, at this point, one more season. by Paul Wanecski
Jerry Jones loves to spend every dollar of salary cap space he can and this year is no exception. Coming into last season, the Dallas Cowboys were significantly over the salary cap. They were not aggressive in free agency and instead were able to use a foundation of solid draft picks to establish one of the leagues youngest and most effective offensive lines. They are still not out of the woods with the salary cap and with Jerry Jones as general manager; you have to wonder if they ever will be. by Mario Granata
The Baltimore Ravens find themselves with an ultimate bit of irony heading into the 2015 season. There is a free agent crop of players that they need at various positions, however they are only 4.7 million dollars under the salary cap. Baltimore fans can file this under the ‘Needs vs. Wants’ category. With their salary cap number so low, they will have to do things the old fashioned way: through the draft. by Paul Wanecski
The Carolina Panthers are a recovering team. For several seasons, they have made mistakes in free agency signings and contract extension. It appears now that they are one season away from being able to take a giant leap forward. This draft will be a major component in getting the value and depth they need for the coming generation of Panther’s fans. by Paul Wanecski
The Arizona Cardinals had no business making the playoffs in a season where they had to start 3 different quarterbacks. HC Bruce Arians did a great job of holding the roster together absent a running game, multiple quarterbacks and the loss of the best linebacker on his team due to suspension. What is in store for the Cardinals come 2015? by Mario Granata
HC Jim Caldwell had a very successful 2014 campaign, going 11-5 in a very tough NFC North. While his defense, under DC Teryl Austin ranked 3rd in points allowed (jumping 12 spots from 2013) there were some problems with the team that led to their first round exit against the Dallas Cowboys and their off-season poses some interesting questions as well. What do the Lions have to do to ensure success in 2015? by Mario Granata
The Pittsburgh Steelers, coming off an impressive 11-5 season in a highly competitive AFC North will have some tough decisions to make going into the 2015 season. Le’Veon Bell accounted for 2,215 yards and 11 TDs over 373 touches, and Antonio Brown’s league leading 129 receptions will be go to players, but with news of the quarterback’s happiness being called into question, and an aging secondary, as well as an uncomfortable salary cap number, the Steelers return to dominance might just be in rebuild mode. by Mario Granata
The Cincinnati Bengals seem to always be the team that could vie for a chance to make it to the dance, but 4 straight exits in the Wild Card round after posting 40 wins over that span, they have more disappointments than supporters. When you take into account that the Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1990 (a 41-14 victory over the Houston Oilers) changes have to be made for this team to take the next step. And of course, having 37.7 million in cap space doesn’t hurt either. by Paul Wanecski
The Philadelphia Eagles are a bit cap-strapped at the moment. With only $9.3 million in cap space entering 2015, the team will need to look at some veteran players and have a restructure-or-relocate conversation with them. Not a team known for holding onto players past prime years, the Eagles are in a bit of an interesting position, having two players on the wrong side of 30 taking up premium salary cap space. |