- Messages
- 5,432
- Reaction score
- 0
Five potential landing spots for Bob Sanders
Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/18/2011 @ 6:30 pm)
For those surprised that the Colts released Bob Sanders on Friday, don’t be. The moment he suffered a season-ending biceps injury in Week 1 against the Texans this past year he gave the team no choice but to part ways with him after a seven-year partnership.
Sanders was a hell of a player from 2004 to 2007. He won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007, went to the Pro Bowl in both ’05 and ’07, and helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI in February of ’07.
But the Colts made a mistake handing him a $37 million contract in early 2008. Hindsight is always 20/20, but Sanders earned $7.1 million in ’08, $3.95 million in ’09, $5.5 million in ’10 and was scheduled to make $5.5 million with a $500,000 offseason workout bonus this year. During that span, he played in a total of nine games. To put that in perspective, Aaron Francisco started more games at safety (14) in the last two years than Sanders did in the last three. What choice did the Colts have but to cut their losses and move on?
But while the Colts are moving on, another team will certainly give the injury-prone, but highly talented Sanders a long look. The safety position is like a black hole for most NFL teams and surely somebody will take a risk in hopes that Sanders will stay healthy.
Which teams will that be? I’m glad you asked. Below are five potential landing spots for the former DPOY.
Jacksonville Jaguars: This is a definite possibility if the Jaguars are willing to spend. They were forced to go with two young guys in Courtney Greene and Don Carey and while the Jags may give them another year to develop, neither of them were playmakers last year. Sean Considine is fine for depth but he’s not an every-week starter and he’s a free agent next year. Sanders already knows the division and could help groom the younger players. The problem is that the Jags aren’t in need of just one player and if they wind up paying Sanders starter money only to watch him get hurt again, the move could set them back.
Dallas Cowboys: This is another team that makes a lot of sense. You know Jerry Jones won’t hesitate to go after free agents and Sanders might be attracted to playing in Big D under new coordinator Rob Ryan. Alan Ball struggled as a starter last year and if he returns, he might have to shift into nickel and/or dime packages. Gerald Sensabaugh is a free agent and while he could come back for cheap, Jones may want to upgrade the position and roll the dice hoping Sanders will stay healthy.
Houston Texans: The Texans are in definite need of upgrading their safety positions, especially now that Wade Phillips is installing the 3-4. In that alignment, it’s important for safeties to be able to cover, which suits Sanders. Benard Pollard was excellent two years ago, but his play slipped last year and now he’s a free agent. If they choose not to re-sign Pollard, Sanders has to be viewed as a possible replacement. The team also just released free safety Eugene Wilson, so there’s a chance that Houston will have two new starters at the safety position next year, which may not be a bad thing considering the Texans’ pass defense was routinely torched last season.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals have been stockpiling strong safeties for the better part of six decades, so I think I almost have a responsibility to list them. Roy Williams and Gibril Wilson are both free agents and if they’re let go, the Bengals could always start Reggie Nelson (who hasn’t been effective since his rookie year in Jacksonville) and slide Chris Crocker to strong safety. But that would be a suspect tandem, so adding Sanders and letting Nelson and Crocker duel it out at free might not be a bad option (with the loser providing adequate depth).
Philadelphia Eagles: This is contingent on whether or not they bring back Quintin Mikell, who is a free agent. He’s going to be 31 next season, but he’s been consistent throughout the years so it stands to reason that they would bring him back rather than shell out money and take on a risk like Sanders. When Nate Allen was healthy, he showed flashes of being a fixture in Philly’s defense for a long time and Marlin Jackson will be back next year after suffering an Achilles injury in training camp. Thus, again, the Eagles’ interest in Sanders is probably tied to whether or not they’ll bring back Mikell. (And actually, the bigger roadblock might be that the team is scared of Sanders’ injury history.)
I wouldn’t rule out the Jets or Vikings (who prefer a Cover 2, which Sanders is familiar with), although New York might not have a ton of spending money after it gets done signing their free agents and Minnesota is more in need of a ballhawk to replace Madieu Williams (who isn’t expected to be re-signed) than a strong safety. Still, if I squint hard enough I could see Sanders landing in the Big Apple or Twin Cities…or the Windy City, or San Diego, or…
Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/18/2011 @ 6:30 pm)
For those surprised that the Colts released Bob Sanders on Friday, don’t be. The moment he suffered a season-ending biceps injury in Week 1 against the Texans this past year he gave the team no choice but to part ways with him after a seven-year partnership.
Sanders was a hell of a player from 2004 to 2007. He won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007, went to the Pro Bowl in both ’05 and ’07, and helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI in February of ’07.
But the Colts made a mistake handing him a $37 million contract in early 2008. Hindsight is always 20/20, but Sanders earned $7.1 million in ’08, $3.95 million in ’09, $5.5 million in ’10 and was scheduled to make $5.5 million with a $500,000 offseason workout bonus this year. During that span, he played in a total of nine games. To put that in perspective, Aaron Francisco started more games at safety (14) in the last two years than Sanders did in the last three. What choice did the Colts have but to cut their losses and move on?
But while the Colts are moving on, another team will certainly give the injury-prone, but highly talented Sanders a long look. The safety position is like a black hole for most NFL teams and surely somebody will take a risk in hopes that Sanders will stay healthy.
Which teams will that be? I’m glad you asked. Below are five potential landing spots for the former DPOY.
Jacksonville Jaguars: This is a definite possibility if the Jaguars are willing to spend. They were forced to go with two young guys in Courtney Greene and Don Carey and while the Jags may give them another year to develop, neither of them were playmakers last year. Sean Considine is fine for depth but he’s not an every-week starter and he’s a free agent next year. Sanders already knows the division and could help groom the younger players. The problem is that the Jags aren’t in need of just one player and if they wind up paying Sanders starter money only to watch him get hurt again, the move could set them back.
Dallas Cowboys: This is another team that makes a lot of sense. You know Jerry Jones won’t hesitate to go after free agents and Sanders might be attracted to playing in Big D under new coordinator Rob Ryan. Alan Ball struggled as a starter last year and if he returns, he might have to shift into nickel and/or dime packages. Gerald Sensabaugh is a free agent and while he could come back for cheap, Jones may want to upgrade the position and roll the dice hoping Sanders will stay healthy.
Houston Texans: The Texans are in definite need of upgrading their safety positions, especially now that Wade Phillips is installing the 3-4. In that alignment, it’s important for safeties to be able to cover, which suits Sanders. Benard Pollard was excellent two years ago, but his play slipped last year and now he’s a free agent. If they choose not to re-sign Pollard, Sanders has to be viewed as a possible replacement. The team also just released free safety Eugene Wilson, so there’s a chance that Houston will have two new starters at the safety position next year, which may not be a bad thing considering the Texans’ pass defense was routinely torched last season.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals have been stockpiling strong safeties for the better part of six decades, so I think I almost have a responsibility to list them. Roy Williams and Gibril Wilson are both free agents and if they’re let go, the Bengals could always start Reggie Nelson (who hasn’t been effective since his rookie year in Jacksonville) and slide Chris Crocker to strong safety. But that would be a suspect tandem, so adding Sanders and letting Nelson and Crocker duel it out at free might not be a bad option (with the loser providing adequate depth).
Philadelphia Eagles: This is contingent on whether or not they bring back Quintin Mikell, who is a free agent. He’s going to be 31 next season, but he’s been consistent throughout the years so it stands to reason that they would bring him back rather than shell out money and take on a risk like Sanders. When Nate Allen was healthy, he showed flashes of being a fixture in Philly’s defense for a long time and Marlin Jackson will be back next year after suffering an Achilles injury in training camp. Thus, again, the Eagles’ interest in Sanders is probably tied to whether or not they’ll bring back Mikell. (And actually, the bigger roadblock might be that the team is scared of Sanders’ injury history.)
I wouldn’t rule out the Jets or Vikings (who prefer a Cover 2, which Sanders is familiar with), although New York might not have a ton of spending money after it gets done signing their free agents and Minnesota is more in need of a ballhawk to replace Madieu Williams (who isn’t expected to be re-signed) than a strong safety. Still, if I squint hard enough I could see Sanders landing in the Big Apple or Twin Cities…or the Windy City, or San Diego, or…
