Reggie Hayward - Hayward has been both a presence in Jacksonville's locker-room, and a force on their defensive line for years. He was the finest of Shack Harris' FA signings. Now, the two sides are talking, likely because Reggie isn't generating the interest of a team in free agency that is going to give him the guaranteed money he wants. He's suffered some catastrophic injuries, and has rehabbed and prevailed. He had strong training camp last season, and he got a sack on the first game of the season. However, Kampman's arrival arguably lowers his value to the team considerably... He'll have to accept a pay-cut to remain a Jaguar, that's a guarantee. I would expect him to be offered a base salary of less than 2 million, with incentives to reach 3-4 million. He may still be bale to beat out Derrick Harvey, and having him at a much lower cost and being able to rotate in quality DE's is crucial to success. That being said, DON'T OVERPAY OLDER PLAYERS!
Reggie destroyed his chances at hitting FA in an uncapped year by breaking his leg on a 4th down play against the Colts in the season opener. Reggie needs to stay with the organization, and obviously wants to, however, any contract he signs must be incentive laden, and lack the guaranteed money he likely is seeking. Don't expect any quick progress in negotiations, as Gene Smith may be the most heartless and cold negotiator this side of the Mississippi. He won't give into demands and he won't overpay, two characteristics which differentiate him from his predecessor, "Shack" Harris. I want Reggie here next season, but Gene won't overpay, and I commend him for that.
Click here to see the other two players I assessed.
Clint Ingram - The weak-spot in an otherwise stout LB corp last year. He clearly wasn't a 3-4 LB, and physically couldn't play it. He's developed into purely a power run stuffer, and he took poor angles on many occasions last season.What shocks me is that when the team went exclusively 4-3, he still struggled.
Three defensive coordinators in three years can't help, but Mark "Duffy" Duffner is one of the better LB coaches in the league, and Clint's regression is discouraging. I hope a team grabs him in restricted FA and gives up a 3rd round pick to us. Russell Allen may be the future at Clint's position, that being said, if he signs his tender, I'll be fine with the depth he'll provide. If he leaves, we'll have to draft a LB or two in the draft. Take home message is this: Don't overpay... He's not worth it.
Reggie Nelson - Reggie needs to be traded ASAP. The embattled safety has struggled immensely since his rookie season, and still doesn't seem to grasp the finer mental aspects of the game. Brian Williams was a far better safety than Reggie was. His athletic prowess is intriguing, as is his recovery speed. The fact is though, he puts himself so out of position that his recovery speed isn't even a factor. He didn't improve under the tutelage of Mel Tucker, the DB guru who supposedly was going to "teach" him the finer points. He didn't learn from Sean Considine, who had a great year despite missing time for a concussion.
He isn't learning the trade adequately enough, and in the NFL, that won't cut it. He still may have trade value, maybe for a fourth-round selection at best. The point is, all the God-given talent in the world doesn't matter if you can't make the plays, and help the team succeed. If he has another bad year, his trade value negates to nothing... I say Gene should cash in his chips on Reggie now, get what you can, 4-5th rounder would make me happy.
-Collin Streetman