Brandon Marshall was traded away from the Dolphins for just 2 3^rd round picks earlier this offseason thanks to his off the field issues. The Bears, who acquired him on the cheap, lucked out because Marshall will not be given a suspension for his alleged role in a night club melee earlier this offseason. Bears GM Phil Emery, who acquired Marshall, reiterated their support for Marshall today and said they were not concerned with his past off the field and they believe he’s working towards becoming a better person in the future. On the football field, Marshall could find his 100 catch/1300 yard form once again now that he’s reunited with Jay Cutler. He managed 81 catches for 1214 yards last year with crap at quarterback.

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Dan Koppen had been the Patriots’ starting center for years, but an ankle injury ended his 2011 season week 1. He resigned with the Patriots and is calling himself 100%, but the Boston Globe says it’s currently Connolly’s job to lose. Connolly is a pretty mediocre player ranking 27^th out of 35 eligible centers on ProFootballFocus last year, but Koppen is 33 in September and coming off of a major injury. The two will duke it out in Training Camp and the victor will probably be the weak link on a talented offensive line that returns 3 other starters and inserts 2011 1^st round pick Nate Solder in the lineup for the retired Matt Light.

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The Lions used the 13^th overall pick on Nick Fairley in the 2011 NFL Draft, but his career has gone about as bad as possible so far in his first year plus. He missed most of last year with injuries and now has gotten suspended twice in his first full offseason and is facing league suspension. However, the Detroit Free Press reports that the Lions won’t even think about cutting him.

As bad as his career has started, Fairley being cut would be a major surprise, even with the new rookie salary cap. The Lions would still suffer a pretty big cap hit if they cut him and they are very confident in Fairley’s ability to be an impact player for them when on the field. They praised his abilities earlier this offseason and he was back at OTAs today while the whole thing is getting sorted out. The Free Press predicts “at least” a 2 game suspension for him after a marijuana arrest and a DUI.

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A former 1^st round pick, Dustin Keller is heading into the final year of his 5 year rookie deal and will make 3.0525 million. According to ESPN New York, Keller and the Jets are not in talks about a long term deal. Keller had a breakout season in 2011 with 65 catches for 815 yards and 5 touchdowns, but the Jets probably want him to prove it again before they pay him. They have the right to franchise him next offseason at a reasonable rate. The franchise tag rate for tight ends this offseason was only 5.446 million.

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According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Browns believe 2011 6^th round pick Buster Skrine could develop into a starting caliber player. Skrine played sparingly as the Browns’ 4^th cornerback as a rookie, but could be ticketed for a bigger role in 2012. Sheldon Brown is currently penciled in as the starter opposite Joe Haden, but he is 33 years old and has obviously seen better days.

The Browns passed on the opportunity to move Sheldon Brown to safety earlier this season, saying that he wouldn’t play safety unless a disaster happens. Given that, I would say that Brown still has the inside track at the starting job, but at the same time I wouldn’t be shocked by Skrine were the starter in 2012.  Brown will be a 34 year old free agent next offseason so Skrine could definitely be a starter in 2013. If he wins the job this offseason, it would likely push Brown to 4^th on the depth chart with specialist Dmitri Patterson solidified as their nickel back. If that happens, Brown, who is owed 3.7 million, could be cut as part of final cuts.

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The Patriots got offseason steals with Andre Carter and Marc Anderson last offseason. They coached up two cheap free agent acquisitions in their scheme and they combined for 20 sacks. However, since they were signed to just 1 year deals, both are now gone. The Patriots drafted two defensive ends in Chandler Jones and Jake Bequette, but they probably don’t want to start just two rookies at the position this year.

According to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, they could get a similar breakout season from free agent acquisition Trevor Scott. They’d really like that to be happen as they need a veteran pass rusher at the position. Scott has 13.5 career sacks in 4 season as a situational pass rusher, which doesn’t suggest much, but the Patriots have coached up similar type players before. Scott could be the week 1 starter opposite Chandler Jones so we’ll just have to see what happens.

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When the Lions selected Nick Fairley 13^th overall in 2011, it was viewed as possibly the steal of the draft by many. Fairley was coming off a 12.5 sack season as a defensive tackle for the NCAA Champion Auburn Tigers and was once a candidate for the #1 overall pick. However, he seems to be the exact opposite of a steal so far. He didn’t play much as a rookie thanks to injuries and while the Lions had high hopes for his 2^nd season in the league, Fairley doesn’t seem to care.

Earlier this offseason, Fairley was arrested for a marijuana related offense and just when it was starting to look like he’d avoid suspension, after entering in the NFL’s substance abuse program, Fairley was arrested for drunk driving early this morning. He’ll almost definitely face some sort of suspension now and is probably going to be in the Lions’ doghouse again. With plenty of depth at the position, the Lions don’t need Fairley and he could end up having another lost season in 2012.

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The Cleveland Browns selected John Hughes in the 3^rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft in a move that surprised everyone. Hughes was widely projected as a 6^th or 7^th round pick if he got drafted at all. Even Hughes himself didn’t plan his draft party until day 3 of the NFL Draft (rounds 4-7) because he didn’t expect to be drafted before then.

Hughes was drafted for purely depth reasons, but when starter Phil Taylor tore his pectoral, putting his season in danger, the Browns had a need for their depth. While veteran Scott Paxson is currently working out as the starter in place of Taylor, the Browns have been very impressed with Hughes, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. They may just be making him earn his way into the starting lineup, but it’s looking like he’ll start there week 1. 6^th round rookie Billy Winn, a surprise of another kind (a surprise slip), is another candidate.

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The Cowboys have already said publicly that they will not be moving disgruntled cornerback Mike Jenkins, who lost his starting job this offseason with the additions of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. The Cowboys have already essentially hung up on at least both the Colts and Lions, who have come asking about Jenkins, who wants to be a starter somewhere.

ESPN’s John Clayton chimed in on the situation today by saying that the Cowboys won’t trade Mike Jenkins, but added until Training Camp. If Clayton is right, this could suggest that the Cowboys only want to keep Jenkins in case of injuries to one of the 3 guys ahead of him on the depth chart, or if there are any further setbacks in the recovery of Morris Claiborne from wrist surgery. If all goes well injury wise at cornerback for the Cowboys, they could be willing to part with Jenkins for the right price in July or so. We’ll see if teams are still interested then and at what price.

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In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner said that he believes Ryan Mathews could lead the league in rushing. Normally everything coaches say should be taken with a grain of salt, especially something from a coach as publicly criticized as Turner, as coaches often overestimate their own talent. However, this was a belief I had before Turner said anything so this just solidifies it.

Mathews is a former 12^th overall pick (201) and the Chargers really don’t have much in the way of backup options behind him. Gone is touchdown vulture Mike Tolbert (21 touchdowns in the last 2 seasons) and right now all the Chargers have is Curtis Brinkley and his 32 career carries, 7^th round pick Edwin Baker, and fullback Le’Ron McClain. Turner has always preferred one workhorse back over multiple specialized backs and it appears he’s finally comfortable with Mathews in that role.

On an offense as explosive as the Chargers, with as much talent as he has, if Mathews gets 300 carries, he could easily lead the league in rushing. Injuries might be the only thing that will stop him from those 300 carries. Last year, Mathews and Tolbert combined for 1581 rushing yards on 343 carries, 16 total touchdowns, and 104 receptions. And that was a down year for San Diego’s offense. There’s a reason why Mathews is my #3 fantasy back.

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