LeSean McCoy will be in the last year of his 4 year rookie contract in 2012, though the Eagles will retain the right to franchise him like the Bears did with Matt Forte and the Ravens did with Ray Rice this offseason. However, it doesn’t sound like either side wants it to come to that as the two parties are having what the Philadelphia Enquirer calls “very productive” talks. McCoy, who doesn’t turn 24 until July, still has a lot of years left and expects to get a deal that surpasses the 5 year 43.5 million dollar deal Arian Foster got earlier this offseason. The Inquirer calls that contract the “starting point” in negoations between McCoy and the Eagles.

It sounds like the Eagles, who have already given long term deals to Evan Mathis, Todd Herremans, DeSean Jackson, and Trent Cole this offseason, are very interested in locking up McCoy, who had 20 touchdowns last year, long term, probably to avoid a situation like what happened between them and Jackson this season and what’s happening between Rice and the Ravens and Forte and the Bears this offseason. I expect it to get done.

The Bears used the 19^th overall pick on Shea McClellin, but don’t expect him to be a starter immediately. The Bears still like incumbent starter Isreal Idonije opposite Julius Peppers and see McClellin more as a situational pass rusher and a long term successor for Idonije, who turns 32 in November. It still wouldn’t surprise me if McClellin made his way into the starting lineup sometime during his first season. Idonije is a pretty marginal player and McClellin was the 19^th overall pick. However, it’s clear he’ll have to earn a starting job. Either way, he should see some of the field and have some impact immediately in his rookie season.

Teams were looking at former Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner both inside and outside coming out of college, but the Seahawks confirmed at rookie camp when many already assumed, that Wagner would be solely a middle linebacker for them. Wagner, who can play either position, represents a major upgrade at middle linebacker over the injury prone Barrett Ruud, who hasn’t been the same since 2008, especially in coverage. As expected, he’s been playing only there at Seahawks rookie camp. At outside linebacker, the Seahawks have the talented, but oft troubled LeRoy Hill re-signed on a long term deal. That seems to be good enough for them at that spot for next season.

The Bears have brought in 2 return men this offseason in Devin Thomas and Eric Weems and new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates has been talking up Hester as a great fit for their new offense. Even offseason acquisition Brandon Marshall has been talking up his fellow wide receiver, saying he expects Hester to outperform him this season.

All this led to some speculation that Hester would not be returning kicks or punts this season to focus on offense. However, according to the Chicago Tribune, they still have him as their top return man and will keep Hester doing what he does best, returning kicks to the house, something he’s done more than anyone ever. The Bears brought in two receivers this offseason in Marshall and rookie Alshon Jeffery, a 2^nd round pick. Between those two and Earl Bennett, it’s definitely possible that Hester opens the season as the #4 receiver, as much as the organization as a whole has been talking him up as a receiver.

The Seahawks made a surprise pick in 2011 when they took James Carpenter 25^th overall, over higher rated tackles like Gabe Carimi and Derek Sherrod. Most places didn’t see Carpenter as anything higher than a 2^nd round pick. Their controversial pick didn’t get any better when Carpenter struggled as a rookie, before finishing the season on IR with a torn ACL. Some Seahawks fans were expecting a better year from Carpenter in his 2^nd year, which often happens with young players. However, according to the National Football Post, those folks could end up disappointed.

They are reporting that there’s a “decent” chance that Carpenter misses the entirety of the 2012 season with that torn ACL. It almost certainly sounds like he’ll start the season on the PUP list. Carpenter has the ability to play both tackle and guard so his loss hurts as they try to patchwork an offensive line that already made Robert Gallery a cap casualty this offseason. Veterans Paul McQuistan and Breno Giacomini are expected to fill in for Gallery and Carpenter respectively. The Seahawks offensive line was one of the worst in the league last year thanks to injury and it might not get any better in 2012, even if John Moffitt and Russell Okung are healthy, which they are expected to be.

The Broncos made a controversial decision to sign Ty Warren to a 2 year, 8 million dollar deal with a 2.5 million dollar signing bonus last offseason. It didn’t get any better when Warren, who had missed the entirety of the 2010 season with a hip injury, needed surgery on his triceps that ended up costing him his entire 2011 season as well. He’s owed 4 million dollars in 2012, a ridiculous amount for someone who hasn’t played since 2009, and the Broncos are logically asking him to take a pay cut to the 1-1.5 million dollar range.

Warren is refusing and it could end with him getting cut, meaning the Broncos would have paid him 2.5 million dollars for absolutely nothing. Warren would be smart to take the pay cut because I doubt he gets anything close to that amount guaranteed on the open market. Denver is still one of the neediest teams at defensive tackle, even after taking Derek Wolfe in the 2^nd round in April’s 2012 NFL Draft so they’d need Warren more than anyone would. On the open market, he might not find a single taker. We’ll have to see how this plays out.

Mike McCoy said today that Peyton Manning’s 1^st and 2^nd reads would often be tight ends in the Broncos’ offense. Given the way their receiving corps stacks up, this makes a lot of sense. They have two solid tight ends in Jacob Tamme, who caught 67 passes in 10 games with Peyton Manning in relief of an injured Dallas Clark in 2010, and Joel Dreessen, one of the league’s top #2 tight ends for years in Houston.

Meanwhile, at wide receiver, Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas, who traded off being the #1 receiver last year depending on the quarterback, will start. For depth, they have the unproven Andre Caldwell and an aging and mediocre Brandon Stokley. It makes a lot of sense that the Broncos would go with two-tight ends whenever possible in 2012.

Had Jonathan Massaquoi been able to come out of college after his 2010 season, in which he managed 12.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss, he could have been a high pick. He declared in 2011 despite a disappointing season in which he managed just 10.5 tackles for loss and 6 sacks and ended up going in the 6^th round to the Atlanta Falcons due to questions about his motor, passion, and consistency.

The Falcons are obviously hoping they can get the 2010 version of him so they had to be happy when Massaquoi weighed in at 260 at Falcons rookie camp, down from 275 at The Combine. If he can stay in shape, he could regain the explosion the tape showed in 2010 and compete immediately for snaps as a nickel rusher on a Falcons team starved for pass rush.

How does the FBS’ all time leader in career receptions end up going in the 2^nd round? Well lack of size was one problem for Ryan Broyles, but a torn ACL was another. If Broyles can stay healthy, he could be a steal for the Lions, who hope he can be a dynamic receiver out of the slot for them long term with Calvin Johnson and Titus Young on the outside.

He ran in the low 4.6s, high 4.5s at his Pro Day earlier in April and is still rehabbing and Head Coach Jim Schwartz said he could be ready for week 1. The Lions would not be wise to rush him back, however, as Broyles would likely start his career as the #4 receiver either way, behind Johnson, Young, and veteran Nate Burleson. It seems like Broyles will have to wait until 2013, when Burleson could be gone, to have any sort of major impact.

Had Omar Bolden played in 2011, he could have been a 2^nd or even 1^st round pick, but he missed the entirety of the season with a torn ACL. He was not 100% at The Combine, but the Broncos took a chance on him in the 4^th anyway, not needing cornerback help right away. Champ Bailey, Tracy Porter, Chris Harris, and Drayton Florence can man the fort in 2012, but Florence is over 30 and struggled as a starter in Buffalo last year, Bailey is 35 next offseason, and Porter will be a free agent next offseason.

Bolden is someone they are hoping can have an impact for them in the future with young Chris Harris as well. Bolden claims he’s 100% healthy now and even if he isn’t, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was by the start of the season. Still, with the logjam at cornerback for now, Bolden is not expected to be anything other than a 5^th cornerback and special teamer. He could be in the mix as a return man, however.