Thursday, April 4, 2002

ProFootballWeekly.com asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in football. 

Jaguars sign WR Shaw; expected to send McCardell packing

The Jaguars signed unrestricted free-agent WR Bobby Shaw from the Steelers Wednesday. Shaw, 26, spent the past four seasons with Pittsburgh. Last season, he caught 24 passes for 409 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 16.0 yards per catch. His best season was in 2000, when he caught 40 passes for 672 yards and four touchdowns. The former University of California star was selected in the sixth round of the 1998 draft by the Seahawks. Shaw joins former Baltimore WR Patrick Johnson, whom the Jaguars signed earlier in the offseason.

Buchsbaum: Bobby Shaw going to Jacksonville is further evidence that Keenan McCardell will be cut on June 1. Shaw is a finesse type of receiver with good size, good hands and deceptive speed. He doesn’t have stopwatch speed, but he has shown a knack for getting deep and making big plays and actually may have had the most big plays of the Steelers’ receivers last year. The Steelers were hoping he could be their third receiver again this year, but with him gone, they may give Troy Edwards another shot at that job.

Bears won’t let Bates go without compensation

The Bears decided to match a three-year, $2.85 million offer sheet made last week by the Vikings for WR D’Wayne Bates. The deal will cost Chicago $1.1 million against the salary cap this year, though general manager Jerry Angelo said there could be further negotiations with Bates. Angelo said he would like to explore options within the contract, but could only do that by matching the Vikings’ offer. Chicago should have been entitled to a compensatory draft pick if it hadn’t matched Minnesota’s offer sheet. But the Bears made a clerical error when they filled out the paperwork accompanying their tender offer earlier in the offseason, so they would not have received anything if they had let Bates go. Speculation has already begun that the Bears will put Bates on the trading block and try to consider getting compensation in return for him from the Vikings.

Buchsbaum: Bates hasn’t developed as the Bears hoped he would, but was showing signs of coming on last year. He has excellent size and athletic ability and has been consistent catching the ball. Re-signing him also keeps him away from a division rival where he would get a chance to excel.

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2001 - 2002 Season