NFL Free Agent Rumors: 10 Landing Spots for Owen Daniels
The NFL free agency period will begin shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl XLV. It's a rough year to be going into free agency because of the situation involving the collective bargaining agreement.
With the way things are going, it seems more and more likely there will be some sort of work stoppage. Whether that will cause any games to be missed remains to be seen.
On a positive note, it's always fun to look and see where prospective free agents could wind up going next season.
This time we will be looking at Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels.
For a two-year period in 2007-08, Daniels was one of the most productive and feared tight ends in all of football. He caught 133 passes for 1,630 yards and five touchdowns in that two-year stretch.
The last two years he has battled injuries, and hasn't been nearly as productive as a result. He is only 28 years old, and you have to believe there are at least a few more productive seasons in his future.
Where he has those productive seasons is anyone's guess.
Here is a list of 10 teams that could use the services of Owen Daniels in 2011 and beyond.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 10
The Cardinals have the best playmaker at the wide receiver position in football with Larry Fitzgerald.
There are two big problems with the team right now.
First, they need to have a quarterback who can actually play the position well—something that Arizona most definitely didn’t have in 2010.
Second, they need to get some weapons on the offensive side of the ball to free up the coverage on Fitzgerald.
Owen Daniels can be a great decoy for the Cardinals offense to take advantage of. Even if Fitzgerald is getting double covered, it could free up Daniels down the middle for some big gains.
Minnesota Vikings
2 of 10
The Vikings disappointed in 2010 after being one play away from the Super Bowl in 2009. They have to find out what they are going to do at the quarterback position going forward.
They have Visanthe Shiancoe at the tight end position, and he has been a decent producer for them. However, they may want to upgrade the position going forward.
Daniels can give them another option to throw to after Sidney Rice, who showed moments of his 2009 self after coming back from injury late in the season.
Detroit Lions
3 of 10
The Lions are making some noise in the NFC. They won six games in 2010, including four in a row to end the season. They need to keep Matthew Stafford healthy moving forward if they want to compete for a playoff spot.
Their current tight end, Brandon Pettigrew, had a good year in 2010. He caught 71 passes for 722 yards and four touchdowns.
Bringing in another productive tight end could really open up this offense and make them one of the NFL’s elite.
More and more teams are shifting to two-tight end formations. Lining up Pettigrew and Daniels together, along with Calvin Johnson on the outside, could make this one of the best offenses in football in 2011.
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Carolina Panthers
4 of 10
Carolina was a disaster in 2010. They couldn’t do anything right, and even the draft isn’t going to go in their favor with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck going back to school.
They will go into 2011 with Jimmy Clausen as their starting quarterback. If they want him to develop at all, they need to surround him with really good playmakers.
Owen Daniels would make a really nice addition to their offense. When he is healthy, he is extremely productive. He can be a mismatch for opposing defenses with his combination of size and speed.
In that division, with Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, you have to be able to put up points. Daniels isn’t the answer to the problem, but he can be a big part of the resurgence.
St. Louis Rams
5 of 10
The Rams found a franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford. He had a great year in 2010, throwing for 3,512 yards and 18 touchdowns. He did that with one of the weakest receiving groups in all of football.
The front office knows that it needs to upgrade the receiving corps to help Bradford take the next step in 2011.
Who can make a quarterback look better more than an effective tight end?
The tight end position has really evolved over the last few years. No longer is it just about blocking and occasionally getting a ball thrown to them on a check-down.
Daniels could help make Bradford even better in 2011 if the Rams want to take the chance on him.
Miami Dolphins
6 of 10
Maybe I am naïve, but I wouldn’t give up on Chad Henne just yet. He was inconsistent in 2010, but it was his first full season as a starting quarterback, and he is only 25. His numbers weren’t that far off from Sam Bradford: 3,301 yards passing and 15 touchdowns.
The Dolphins have been doing a good job of surrounding him with excellent playmakers, like wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Give them another good receiving option and a consistent running game, and they could be good.
Owen Daniels, alongside Anthony Fasano, could make a solid option for Henne to throw to next season.
Indianapolis Colts
7 of 10
Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts found out in 2010 that you can never have too much depth at the skill positions. They were decimated by injuries to their receiving group all year long. It really made them struggle to find their offensive footing.
Even if they bring in Owen Daniels as a backup to Dallas Clark, he could make the offense look more like the Colts offense that we are accustomed to seeing.
They can line Clark up in the slot and Daniels on the line, and Manning gets another option that he can trust to throw the ball to.
Signing Daniels would be a very good addition to an already potent Indianapolis offensive attack.
Denver Broncos
8 of 10
Denver’s tight ends combined for 27 catches in 16 games last season. For comparison's sake, Owen Daniels caught 38 passes in 11 games last season.
If the Broncos want to move forward with Tim Tebow at quarterback, they will need an effective tight end. Tebow has a lot of work to do in order to be successful in the NFL. Getting a good, productive tight end who can be a safety net would be a great way to help him along.
Whoever Denver brings in to be its next head coach, the Broncos should make bringing in a tight end one of their top priorities.
Houston Texans
9 of 10
Why not go back to the only franchise that you have ever known?
Owen Daniels has been very good for Houston in his five years with them. Houston quarterback Matt Schaub knows how valuable Daniels is. Put him alongside emerging tight end Joel Dreessen and the Texans offense can be even more explosive than it has been.
Plus, there is something to be said for loyalty. The Texans organization seems to be all about loyalty. They bring back head coach Gary Kubiak year after year even though they are usually one of the most disappointing teams year in and year out.
Cleveland Browns
10 of 10
The Browns found one playmaker on offense in 2010. That would be star running back Peyton Hillis.
They are going to try to develop Colt McCoy to be their quarterback of the future starting next season. They have Benjamin Watson at the tight end position, and he was very good in 2010. But they need to find more big-play guys.
Owen Daniels, lining up with Watson in a two-tight end set, could really help McCoy as he tries to find his footing in the NFL.
Quarterbacks love to have pass-catching tight ends, and you can never have enough of them. So why wouldn’t Mike Holmgren at least bring him in for a look?
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