The Most Overlooked Stories of the 2017 NFL Offseason

The 2017 NFL offseason has been bananas, with a slew of blockbuster signings, shocking trades and A-grade rumors.

The Scouting Combine created more buzz than usual, free agency felt like a 10-day big news bender, another team announced it is moving cities and now—as we prepare for a fascinating draft—we're monitoring rumors involving a quarterback carousel that continues to contain Tony Romo, Colin Kaepernick, Jay Cutler and maybe even Jimmy Garoppolo. 

You guys have non-football things in your lives. Jobs, friends, spouses, partners, kids, maybe even other hobbies. We get it. And as a result, a lot of underrated stories may have slipped under your radar early this offseason. 

With the Patriots and the Browns and Romo and Kaepernick and Myles Garrett and their high-profile peers getting all of the attention, here are eight less-heralded stories from the last couple of months that you may have overlooked.

The Patriots Weren't the Only Super Bowl LI Team to Get Better

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The New England Patriots have accomplished a rare feat. Not only were they recently handed the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions, but they've also been crowned by many as the unofficial champions of the offseason.

And it's easy to understand why, because New England acquired two new starters in wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore while replacing tight end Martellus Bennett with the talented Dwayne Allen and running back LeGarrette Blount with the younger Rex Burkhead.

With star linebacker Dont'a Hightower returning and dominant tight end Rob Gronkowski coming back from injury, the Pats look downright scary entering draft month. 

But that has made it easy to overlook the Atlanta Falcons, who were traumatized by the Patriots in a Super Bowl LI collapse. Charged with trying to avoid a Super Bowl hangover, the Falcons avoided losing any key players while adding a playmaker on defense (nimble big man Dontari Poe) and on offense/special teams (elite return man and high-quality depth receiver Andre Roberts).

Poe is a versatile two-time Pro Bowler in his prime. Roberts and first-team All-Pro Tyreek Hill were the only two qualified returners in the league to average more than 12 yards per punt return and 22 yards per kick return last season. They both come on cost-effective one-year deals. 

You can't ask for much more from a team with no major holes and limited cap space.

Oftentimes, Super Bowl teams are picked apart because they're tight for cap space and their peers overvalue players coming off championship performances. This year, neither the Patriots nor the Falcons suffered that fate. And in fact, both look a heck of a lot better on paper now than they did in early February. 

Johnathan Hankins Is Collecting Dust

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Most of the starting-caliber free agents lingering on the open market remain available because there are questions about their age (Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Mario Williams, Dwight Freeney, Nick Mangold), because they're facing suspensions or dealing with potential character concerns (T.J. McDonald, Michael Floyd) or because they're waiting for the next quarterback domino to fall (Colin Kaepernick, Jay Cutler). 

But one clean, healthy and productive 25-year-old player sticks out like a 320-pound sore thumb on the free-agent market. His name is Johnathan Hankins, and he was a starter for a playoff team last season.

Hankins is a top-notch run defender entering his prime at a semi-premium position, and in his two complete seasons as a starter for the New York Giants, he's also managed to amass 10 sacks.  

Despite that, and the fact the defensive tackle was graded by Pro Football Focus as the Giants' best player in their Wild Card loss to the Green Bay Packers in January, Hankins has yet to find a job. 

Why? It could have to do with his representation. 

"Conversations with multiple NFL sources recently have produced a sense of disbelief that [Hankins] remains on the market as free agency is nearing the three-week mark," Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media reported. "But when it is revealed that the Giants' free agent is represented by Kevin Poston, veteran NFL insiders tend to have a better understanding of the situation."

Duggan notes that Poston and his brother, Carl, have "developed reputations as unreasonable negotiators prone to making exorbitant contract demands." Once "major power brokers," Duggan says their "client list has dwindled to just three marginal players currently on NFL rosters."

A league source told Duggan that Kevin Poston's contract demands for Hankins have been "outrageous," and ESPN.com's Jordan Raanan reported in mid-March that Hankins' camp is asking for more than $10 million a year. 

That might explain why such a high-quality free agent remains available entering April, despite the fact his original employer has had a multi-year offer on the table for him for weeks, according to NFL Network's Kim Jones.

A Lot of Young Quarterbacks Are Recovering from Injuries

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It's not as though you weren't aware that budding star quarterbacks Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill suffered major injuries in the latter half, or that Teddy Bridgewater was hit with a devastating knee injury just before the start of the season. But I do think we as sports fans tend to forget about injuries in the offseason, assuming that the victims of said injuries will inevitably recovery before the next season arrives. 

That's not always the case, and the NFL is hardly a seasonal job anymore. Players—and especially young ones who play the all-important quarterback position—risk losing valuable progress if they miss large chunks of the offseason, let alone parts of the regular season. 

It's important to note that the quarterbacks mentioned above still have plenty of work to do, and that the list of injured young signal-callers is actually larger than a lot of casual fans might have figured. A breakdown...

Carr: The 26-year-old Oakland Raiders Pro Bowler broke his right leg in Week 16. But according to ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie expects him to be "full go" for organized team activities. 

Mariota: The 23-year-old's career with the Tennessee Titans really appeared to be taking off before he also broke his right leg in Week 16. Mariota is not expected to be ready in time for the start of OTAs, but ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky reported that he has at least made the transition from scooter to walking boot. 

Tannehill: The 28-year-old Miami Dolphins centerpiece was having a career year before suffering a sprained MCL and ACL in his left knee in December. He avoided offseason surgery, and Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said Tannehill is now "doing everything" without restrictions, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. 

Bridgewater: The 24-year-old missed the entire 2016 Minnesota Vikings season after suffering a catastrophic non-contact injury to his left knee. According to USA Today's Tom Pelissero, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that Bridgewater is running in a pool but there's still no timeline for a potential return. Per Pelissero, Vikings GM Rick Spielman couldn't confirm in February that Bridgewater would definitely play again. So yeah, it's serious. 

Andrew Luck: After the season, the 27-year-old Indianapolis Colts franchise quarterback underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder, which had been bothering Luck for over a year, according to Colts owner Jim Irsay. The initial timeline for a full return was six months, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, but Irsay hinted—per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com—that Luck may not be ready in time for the start of training camp.

Tyrod Taylor: The 27-year-old Buffalo Bills signal caller underwent sports hernia surgery after the season, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in February that he had been medically cleared. 

Trevor Siemian: After starting 14 games as a sophomore with the Denver Broncos in 2016, the 25-year-old underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in January. It was originally dubbed a minor procedure, but KUSA's Mike Klis reported that doctors encountered more damage than expected. The recovery period is expected to be 4-6 months, but Siemian said he expected to be "full go" for OTAs.

And now Cam Newton, too: It was reported on March 30 by Schefter that the 27-year-old Carolina Panthers superstar is expected to be sidelined for four months after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder. That'll make it tough for him to get back to 100 percent by the start of camp. 

That's 25 percent of the league's starting quarterbacks, and 42 percent of the starters below the age of 30. 

The Bengals Are Giving Adam Jones Another Pass

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Somewhat lost in the wildness of the offseason is the fact troubled Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones was arrested in January on a felony charge of harassment with a bodily substance and misdemeanor charges of assault, disorderly conduct and obstructing official business (the felony charge was later dropped).

After saying nothing for nearly three months, Bengals owner Mike Brown pledged his support of Jones while condemning his actions. 

"You are dealing with people's lives here," Brown said at the end of March, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (h/t USA Today). "It's easy to sit on high and say, 'Oh, terrible, terrible. Let's bring down the sword.' I think that's an overreaction. I'm not condoning his actions. They were, in all honesty, embarrassing. He was out of control. He misbehaved. He made a fool of himself. No one knows that more than he does. I don't know that I have been perfect in my lifetime, either. I probably did some things I wish I hadn't."

Brown and the rest of us haven't been perfect, but let's not call this a second chance. The reality is it's at least a fifth or sixth chance for Jones, who only remains employed by an NFL team because he's talented and because it's a business and because he found a home with the league's softest organization. 

Jones has had several run-ins with the law since joining the NFL.

"He knows full well what he has done to himself," Brown added. "He regrets it."

But does he? How many times does a guy under your jurisdiction have to screw up before it's clear that you're being taken advantage of for your goodwill? He's not a kid anymore. He's a 33-year-old man with a wife and two daughters.

The Bengals have always been more willing than others to take in veterans who have fallen on hard times on and/or off the field (Cedric Benson, Chris Henry, Larry Johnson, Matt Jones, Terrell Owens), and that's admirable. But at what point does a sympathizer become an enabler? 

And it's not just Brown. 

"As time has come out, other than his language what did he do?" head coach Marvin Lewis said, according to Dehner. "But that’s up to whatever happens. The case is still under review, we’ll see how it plays out."

The sticks and stones defense is pretty weak, Marv. Especially considering the explicit and downright disgusting language he used. Has Lewis actually listened to the NSFW video from TMZ, in which Jones told officers he wished they would die? 

I had an hour-long one-on-one conversation with Jones last year. He told me about his family. He told me about his golf hobby and his love for cars and horseback riding. This latest indiscretion indicates he still needs support, and Brown owns that team, so he has every right to continue to lend that to Jones—"Maybe I am overly tolerant," he said. "If so, so be it."— but is Adam Jones really learning anything from all of this? 

"There aren't a lot of organizations that are willing to take the hit for the franchise by giving guys second chances," Jones told me, "but Mr. Brown has been good to me, and I think I've held up my end of the bargain."

Can he still say that today? This is his third arrest as a member of the Bengals, yet the team continues to stand by at a rate of $7.3 million per year. 

It's baffling. 

And the Declining Bengals Refuse to Spend Money

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Wait, wait—can I have the mic back? I'm not done ranting about the Bengals, an organization that is embarrassing itself off and on the field. An organization that has clearly gotten worse for a second consecutive offseason, despite having plenty of money to spend. 

It's not getting a lot of attention on the national level because Cincinnati isn't a big-market team and coverage of free agency tends to skew toward teams who actually sign free agents, but Bengals fans shouldn't let their team get away with this. 

Allow me to summarize: The Bengals followed up a 12-win 2015 season with an ugly 10-loss 2016 campaign thanks in part to the fact they lost key receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu and key defensive backs Reggie Nelson and Leon Hall in free agency. How'd they respond this offseason? By letting their top two offensive linemen—left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right guard Kevin Zeitler—sign elsewhere on the first day of free agency. 

Since then, they've signed just two outside free agents—washed-up, injury prone offensive tackle Andre Smith and unspectacular linebacker Kevin Minter—to cheap one-year deals, while also losing running back Rex Burkhead, solid rotational defensive lineman Margus Hunt and veteran front-seven defenders Domata Peko and Karlos Dansby. 

That despite the fact they still have over $24 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap.

It even had one of their own players—defensive end Carlos Dunlap—calling them out publicly. 

It's a shame, because the Bengals haven't experienced real success in a generation. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green gave them a real shot to contend, but by pinching pennies, they're forfeiting that opportunity. 

The Bengals are actively shutting their own window. It's football masochism. 

The Colts, Seahawks Continue to Neglect Their Offensive Lines

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Two other teams that rather quietly remained mind-bogglingly idle when given a chance to fix major weaknesses this offseason? The Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks, both of whom were sunk at least partly by issues with pass protection in 2016. 

Both teams had been negligent of their offensive lines in years past, so I guess more neglect shouldn't come as a surprise. But you'd think that in this copycat league, the recent rise of the Cowboys and Raiders—both teams that spent a ton of draft and/or real currency on rebuilding their offensive lines in recent years—would have had an effect on Indy, Seattle and others. 

Well, it did on others. The Browns spent $77 million on top-notch free agent offensive linemen Kevin Zeitler and JC Tretter. The Vikings gave a five-year, $59 million deal to offensive tackle Riley Reiff. Tackle Matt Kalil got $56 million over five years from the Panthers. 

Russell Okung? Four years, $53 million with the Chargers. Ricky Wagner? Five years, $48 million with the Lions. Even the 35-year-old Andrew Whitworth received a contract from the Rams that'll pay him $11.3 million a year over the next three seasons. 

Why weren't the Colts and Seahawks in on these guys? In terms of pass blocking efficiency, Pro Football Focus ranked Indy's offensive line dead last in football last season, with Seattle slotting in just two spots higher. And among 20 quarterbacks who dropped back at least 180 times, Indy's Andrew Luck and Seattle's Russell Wilson ranked first and second in terms of pressure percentage. They were each sacked 41 times, which was tied for the second-highest mark in football. 

Injuries took a toll on both Luck and Wilson, and the Colts and Seahawks both paid the price in the standings. Again, you'd think they'd have learned a lesson.

Nope. 

The Colts signed nine outside free agents in March. Zero are offensive linemen. The Seahawks hardly participated in free agency, but only one of the five players they signed is a potential starting offensive lineman. His name? Luke Joeckel. 

Yes, that Luke Joeckel. The bust former No. 2 overall pick who was one of the worst left tackles in football in 2014 and 2015, was moved to guard in 2016 and then almost immediately shredded his left knee. 

Good luck with that. 

Indianapolis and Seattle had better hope they can find some NFL-ready O-linemen in an NFL draft that appears to be shallow at those positions. 

The NFL Is Considering a Rule Change That Would Mean Way More Ties

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During the lull between the heart of free agency and draft season, the NFL Competition Committee gathered at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix at the end of March and discussed several potential rule changes. Some were adopted, others were scrapped and one particularly abysmal proposed change was tabled. 

The proposal: Reducing the overtime period from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, obviously in order to lower snap counts in yet another attempt to curb injuries. It's a change that could still be adopted if/when a vote is held at the league meetings in May. And NFL.com's Judy Battista believes that's exactly what will happen. 

The NFL would quickly come to regret implementing such a policy. 

Ties suck. There's a reason why the NHL has added a shootout in order to avoid them and why baseball and basketball games are just extended indefinitely until ties are broken. Professional sports is a business, and paying customers hate ties. If folks are going to invest significant time and/or money in consuming the NFL product, they're going to want a winner and a loser. 

We've already seen an uptick in ties of late, thanks in part to the league's revised overtime procedures. The league had just four ties in 22 years between 1990 and 2011. They were so rare that Donovan McNabb didn't even know they could happen. But there have been five ties in the five seasons since the modified sudden death system was implemented, including two in 2016. 

And again, I understand why the league would prefer to avoid those. More plays means more injuries, and the NFL has been attempting to reduce play totals for several years. But by cutting overtime down to 10 minutes, you're taking on a whole new problem in exchange for a drop in the bucket. 

According to NFL Media Research, 22 of the 83 regular-season overtime games from the last five years have lasted 10-plus minutes. We can't say for sure that all of those games would have ended in ties, because the teams involved might have approached the overtime period differently had they known it ended after 10 minutes instead of 15, but you'd have to imagine at least half would have been draws. 

A total of 32,734 plays were run from scrimmage in 2016. You know how many of those came with less than 5:01 remaining in overtime? Sixty. In other words, this change would reduce the league-wide play count by about 0.2 percent.

On average, NFL players participated in about 0.7 snaps that late in games. So for all intents and purposes, the league would probably be opening itself up to at least a handful of ties in order to reduce Tyron Smith's play count from 1,082 to 1,081. 

It's nonsensical. 

The Redskins Don't Have a General Manager

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This is not an April Fools' Day joke. It's April 1, and the Washington Redskins don't have a general manager. 

Let that sink in for a moment. 

That's what happens when you fire your GM at the start of a new league year, rather than at the end of the season. Having to search for a replacement during free agency and the lead-up to the draft is inconvenient, to put it mildly. 

Chris Lingebach of CBS DC wondered if the search had already "run aground," while Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN reported that it could last beyond the draft. They've cast a wide net, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Wide enough, apparently, that Mike Mayock seemed unaware he was a candidate. 

Look up dysfunctional in the dictionary and you might just find the Redskins logo. 

J.J. Watt Is (Almost) Back

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There's been so much talk about what the Houston Texans are doing/might soon do at the quarterback position that it's easy to forget that Houston's biggest addition for the 2017 season was already on the roster. 

That's because a team that had the league's top-rated defense despite missing its best player for virtually the entire 2016 campaign looks as though it'll be getting three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt back. 

Watt endured a long recovery after undergoing season-ending back surgery in September, but he's been cleared to train without restrictions and he should be ready to roll well before the start of the season. 

"J.J. is doing great," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said at the end of March, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "He's really looking forward to being back in Houston (for the start of the offseason program). He's definitely on track to be ready to go."

That's great news for most NFL fans, because Watt is a joy to watch so long as you don't reside in Indianapolis, Jacksonville or Tennessee.