Monday, June 3, 2002

Choice cuts

With plenty of carving, these teams could fatten up

By Jeff Reynolds, Associate editor

Others, however, went about it the old-fashioned way. Many teams are better, some worse, after a newsworthy free-agent signing period. With the pool of available talent nearly dry, June 1 cuts become official today and add a splash of life into the open market.

That might be bad news for Saints WR Willie Jackson and Redskins RB Ki-Jana Carter, two of the more prominent free agents who remain unsigned as a handful of big names become available. It’s no secret that many teams are eyeing this batch of receivers with names like Derrick Alexander (Kansas City), Keenan McCardell (Jacksonville) and Antonio Freeman (Green Bay) firing up the moving vans in the coming days. But there are others, like RB Jamal Anderson (Falcons) and OG Ray Brown (49ers) who command attention.

Now that we know the names and faces, where might they land?

A few receiver-needy teams are bound to look like sharks in bloody water, hoping to land the best catch before others reach the bargaining table. Take the Vikings, for example. Minnesota has already worked out and medically examined Alexander, salivating over what he and Randy Moss may do when running routes in concert. San Diego and Kansas City plan to fight Atlanta for McCardell and Freeman, and all three teams are desperate for an accomplished veteran in the passing game.

Dallas is a team that made plenty of effort to upgrade its defense. Now, the time may have come for owner Jerry Jones to shine some light on the offensive side of the ball. The Cowboys might be the main competition for the services of Anderson, who ran for 1,846 yards (ninth all-time in the NFL for a single season) in 1998 before suffering season-ending knee injuries in two of his next three campaigns. Dallas would like Anderson to do the short-yardage and goal-line work for Emmitt Smith without derailing Smith in his bid to surpass Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Without question, Anderson is the best June 1 name available at running back. At one point, it appeared as if the Lions were going to drop the ax on RB James Stewart, who was due $5 million for the season on his existing contract. But Stewart liked what he saw in Detroit and decided to stick around at a reduced price tag.

Brown is a perfect candidate to replace OG Dave Szott (torn anterior cruciate ligament) with the Jets. A 39-year-old, Brown is still playing good football. You could even argue he is at his best after making the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career last season. But the 49ers signed ex-Giants OG Ron Stone to start in Brown’s spot and don’t figure to keep him as a reserve. The Jets are staring at unproven reserve J.P. Machado as the alternative and would be wise to add this veteran.

At one time, it appeared as if unrestricted free-agent LB Roman Phifer was as good as gold in silver and black. The Raiders were close to signing Phifer, but the deal never came to fruition, and the Patriots haven’t made overwhelming overtures to bring him back. Though he is older, Phifer could be a great signing for a team like Minnesota or Detroit, two clubs with little to talk about at the position in a division where run-stopping is a priority. But don’t be surprised if, instead of Phifer, one of these two clubs takes a close look at either Packers LB Bernardo Harris or Jacksonville LB Hardy Nickerson.

Regardless of who lands where, signing cap casualties after June 1 isn’t a practice normally seen as impact maneuvering. If you have a lot of holes at this stage in the game, nearly three weeks before training camp, don’t expect to be taking a bow in January. But teams with one or two shortcomings might be dancing if they can get the one difference-maker they believe they need.

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2001 - 2002 Season