Stefen Wisniewski Free Agency Fits: Seattle, Denver, Houston
Stefen Wisniewski entered free agency last week rated the sixteenth best player available. He just turned twenty-six, he has a little to zero injury history. At the beginning of last season he was ranked as the Top 10 center in the NFL. So why hasn’t he been signed yet? The center position is one of the more underrated positions in football, and very few teams have someone as productive as Wisniewski. He directs the offensive line very well, and has the leadership and personality desired for an NFL locker-room. The Penn State Nittany Lion product, drafted in the second round by Oakland in 2011, stands at 6’3, 315 pounds, which is in no way under/over sized for the position.
Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Florida State Seminoles offensive tackle Cameron Erving (75) gestures during the second half of the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game against the Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
The draft isn’t exactly stacked with top center talent either. Your number one target will probably be Cameron Erving out of Florida State. He’s a converted left tackle, where he played all of the 2013 National Champion Florida State’s games. Most rank him as a late first to early second round pick, but the majority of teams in dire need of this position would need to trade up. Hroniss Grasu (Oregon) and Ali Marpet (Hobart) are also options, but they are more of a mid-round pick. The talent is there and proven with Stefen Wisniewski.
Could his price tag just be too high for most teams this late in free agency? For his talent, the cap hit shouldn’t be as big of an issue, with the remaining team average being a $14 million cap. It’s time for him to get off and outta the baseball field in Oakland and onto a championship caliber team.
Seattle Seahawks
The defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks traded center Max Unger to New Orleans in the Jimmy Graham deal early in the free agency period. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, finding a reliable center should be at the top of their list. The NFLPA released its Public Salary Cap Report on Tuesday, reporting the remainder of cap space remaining for each team. Seattle had $14.18 million remaining from the team’s $134 million cap. If you look at the contract the Philadelphia Eagles gave Jason Kelce (who was drafted the same year, but ranked higher talent wise), the Seahawks can front load Wisniewski’s deal for this season and save future money to resign Russell Wilson. They don’t need to give him the $6 million average Jason Kelce brings in, but a reasonably respectful contract can work out here. If Seattle hadn’t given up its’ 31st overall pick in the Jimmy Graham deal, then drafting a guy like Cameron Erving would have been a perfect fit. Now they have handcuffed themselves into either spending the money they wanted to save, trading up, or taking a chance on a fourth round pick.
Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning isn’t getting any younger, and his chances at another Super Bowl are dwindling. The Broncos entered the offseason with the offensive line as one of their top needs, and they’ve honestly regressed. The loss of Orlando Franklin is a huge one for Denver, and their replacement isn’t anything super special. After being big spenders in free agency last year, they held a little to tight to their wallets this year. They still have about $12.1 million left on their cap, so signing Wisniewski wouldn’t do outrageous damage to John Elway’s piggybank. Drafting Cameron Erving with the 28th pick would not be crazy, but many see other holes with better draft value with that pick. If the Broncos are serious about giving Peyton a chance to walk away from the game covered in confetti, they need to make the upgrades needed to keep him healthy.
Houston Texans
The Texans started their off-season by letting go of long time center Chris Meyers. Their cap space is weak this offseason, but the Blue and White connection is there. While Bill O’Brien wasn’t at Penn State very long, but he left his lasting mark in Happy Valley. Though he didn’t coach Wisniewski, the connection between Penn State alums/members is one of the strongest in the country. Besides that point, Wisniewski can be a building block to Houston’s developing offense. They might only be a quarterback away from being a serious contender for an AFC playoff spot. Brian Hoyer isn’t the long-term answer, so having a strong offensive line in front of a rookie quarterback (cough Christian Hackenberg cough) would make a huge difference in building confidence and success. While they will need to address their receivers and some possibly a secondary piece, the Texans are not as far away as people think.