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NFL

Packers can re-build their defense around Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

GREEN BAY, Wis. — With free agency less than a month away, it’s a good time to take a look at who the Green Bay Packers have returning and what they might need to add this offseason at each position.

Safeties

Under contract for 2017: Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Kentrell Brice, Marwin Evans, Jermaine Whitehead.

Free agents: Micah Hyde.

Position review: Burnett and Clinton-Dix evolved as a duo in part because of the amount of time they spent on the field together. Clinton-Dix played every defensive snap in the regular season and playoffs on the way to his first Pro Bowl selection, while Burnett was on the field for nearly 89 percent of the plays; he missed one game (Week 3 against Detroit because of a groin injury).

Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is someone the Packers can build around on defense. Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire

“When you have premier players on your defense and they line up and play 1,000 plays, to me that says it all,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

Hyde proved to be a jack-of-all trades defensive back, playing both safety and in the slot positions in the nickel and dime defense. He had four interceptions in the last seven games, including playoffs. Among them were a game-clincher in the Week 17 win at Detroit and one in the divisional-round win at Dallas.

The big-hitting Brice, a highly touted undrafted rookie, gained valuable experience, mostly in the dime when Burnett moved up closer to the line of scrimmage in what was essentially an inside linebacker position — something new for Burnett in 2016.

Position outlook: The Packers will either pick up the fifth-year option on Clinton-Dix’s rookie contract or work out a long-term extension. Despite some occasional lapses in coverage, he is defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ best playmaking safety since Nick Collins.

If there’s someone Capers and McCarthy can build around on defense, it’s Clinton-Dix. He is arguably general manager Ted Thompson’s best first-round pick since Clay Matthews in 2009 or Aaron Rodgers in 2005.

Burnett signed a four-year, $24.75 million extension in 2013, and while he’s been solid, it’s worth questioning whether he’s worth an average salary ($6,187,500) that still ranks 13th among all NFL safeties more than three years later.

The big decision will be Hyde. He’s likely seeking a deal in excess of $4 million per season. The Packers will have to figure out whether they value his versatility and dependability enough to make that kind of an investment. If they don’t, surely another team will.

The potential of Brice and Evans, who played more on special teams than on defense, could be a reason the Packers pass on Hyde if that’s the price tag.

The Packers have plenty of work to do on defense, but not necessarily at this position; pass-rushers and cornerbacks are a much bigger priority on this side of the ball.

Level of need (low, medium or high): Low.

By the numbers

5: Interceptions by Clinton-Dix in the regular season, which led the Packers and tied with Landon Collins of the Giants for most in the NFL by a safety.

2,335: Combined snaps out of a possible 2,472 played this past season by Clinton-Dix (1,236) and Burnett (1,099), including playoffs.

NFL

Broncos need offensive line overhaul in order to restore run game

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Even with time to think about it, to step away, to stop and smell the proverbial roses for a few weeks, it still gnaws at former Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak.

Because in virtually all of his time as an offensive coordinator and head coach in the NFL, one given was Kubiak’s offenses running the ball successfully. As in anytime, anywhere.

The pinnacle of the success — Terrell Davis — was selected to the Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago. But just days before Davis was rewarded for being the rarest kind of player, Kubiak was still shaking his head at the Broncos’ 2016 run game.

C.J. Anderson and the Broncos’ run game struggled behind a shaky offensive line in 2016, but repairs are already underway. Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports

“It does eat at me a bit — a lot,” said Kubiak, who stepped down after the season because of health reasons. “You’ve got a way of doing things, and it’s worked, it’s been productive, how you teach it, how you coach it. And I can tell you we worked as hard as you can work to fix it this season. And I’ve said that was just the biggest disappointment, but they’ve got a plan for that.”

In 2016, the Broncos were 27th in rushing at 92.8 yards per game and 28th in yards per carry at 3.6. They put in the effort without results given they were tied for 15th in carries at 25.6 per game. And while the decision at quarterback will dominate the narrative around the Broncos, what it will take to repair the run game is far more indicative of what they need to do in the offense’s overhaul.

In short, the Broncos were shaky on the offensive line all season. They didn’t consistently win at the point of attack or protect their young quarterbacks. The Broncos surrendered 40 sacks and far more big hits on Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.

Siemian had offseason surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder, an indication of the struggles up front. And a quarterback, especially a young one, without a run game creates a target-rich environment for opposing defenses.

“Everyone always wants to look at a quarterback and say you have to have this quarterback,” Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said. “I’m not taking anything away from the quarterback position. It is critical to have that guy, but you have to have the five guys up front playing as one and doing everything right … so that quarterback can sit back in the pocket and do what he can do.”

McCoy’s first call was to one of his former assistants with the San Diego Chargers — Jeff Davidson — to coach the offensive line. Davidson then wanted John Benton as the assistant line coach.

The combination of the two shows McCoy is leaning toward his approach in his last stint with the Broncos — he guided the offense for four seasons before taking over the Chargers in 2013. That included a run game that featured both a gap scheme at times, with more straight-ahead, one-on-one blocking, mixed with the zone scheme — the linemen move together to block defenders in specific areas. Davidson has used the gap scheme more; Benton is versed in the zone scheme, having been Kubiak’s offensive line coach for eight seasons with the Houston Texans.

“Jeff is a great gap-scheme, power-scooter guy, and John Benton was the best at the zone-blocking schemes, so having both of those guys should allow us to do both,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “When you’re doing both, you want linemen that are aggressive—quick laterals. So that won’t change whether there’s a zone-blocking scheme or a gap scheme. Same guys.”

Which leads to the expected depth-chart overhaul on the offensive line. Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway is expected to have north of $42 million worth of room against the salary cap for free agency. Team president/CEO Joe Ellis has said the Broncos are prepared to make a substantial investment “back into the team.” And they may have as many as 10 draft picks.

The Broncos have also been pleased with the progress of the three backs who finished the season on injured reserve — C.J. Anderson, Kapri Bibbs and fullback Andy Janovich. Anderson has said he expects to be “better than ever” in his recovery from surgery just before Halloween.

It’s all on the same to-do list, McCoy said, and no one will be exempt from the repairs.

“There [are] a number of things that, I think when you look at the offensive line, it’s not just them,” McCoy said. “It is everybody. That has got to be the emphasis with our whole entire team. We’ve all got to look at ourselves first, and we’ve all got to say, ‘OK, how are we going to get better? What really is good enough as an offense?’ We’re going to push the limit every day … I will say this, Jeff Davidson and John will make them play better, and they will play better next year.”

NFL

From Colin Kaepernick to Landry Jones, Steelers have backup QB options

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are on record as wanting to improve quarterback depth behind Ben Roethlisberger. They have resources to do just that, and they don’t have to use the NFL draft — at least not yet.

Re-signing Landry Jones is a possibility, but if the team opts for a seasoned backup while grooming a draft pick over the next two to three years, there’s enough help available.

It’s not great help, but it’s serviceable help — players who can assume a No. 2 or No. 3 role on the depth chart. In a bind, these quarterbacks can win a game or two.

Some big names could be available. Simple math says that a few established starters will find themselves second-stringers come August. How many teams unquestionably need a new quarterback in 2017? Let’s say four: Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. The Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans appear in that next tier. So if two of those first four draft a first-round quarterback and the other two trade for Jimmy Garoppolo or Tony Romo, that leaves the Colin Kaepernick/Jay Cutler crowd low on guarantees and depth-chart positioning. The wild card is Mike Glennon, whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers believe can be a legitimate starter in the NFL.

Below are quarterbacks who are realistic options if the Steelers are so inclined:

Colin Kaepernick: Kaepernick won’t exactly have a robust market if/when he opts out of his contract in San Francisco. He’d be an entertaining backup in Pittsburgh, which can redo the Mike Vick signing from two years ago with a younger and faster model. Kaepernick posted a respectable 90.7 passer rating with minimal playmakers in San Francisco last year. He could be worth high-level backup money somewhere.

Brian Hoyer is a savvy veteran who has some familiarity with the Steelers’ offense. AP Photo/Paul Beaty

Brian Hoyer: He has been a solid option in his last three stops, with 25 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions over his past 17 regular-season games. He spent a brief period with Pittsburgh in 2012, so he’d grasp Todd Haley’s system quickly.

Landry Jones: He’s taken hundreds — no, thousands — of reps in that system. This qualifies him as perhaps the most equipped option out there. He recovered well from an uneven first two years on the job. The Steelers like the hard-working Jones. Overall, though, he doesn’t elicit a lot of confidence for the long term, so any re-signing would likely be on a bridge, two-to-three-year deal.

Matt Cassel: Not sure how much he has left at age 34, but he spent time with Haley in Kansas City and would be a valuable voice in the quarterback room.

Josh McCown: He’s a good guy to have in a locker room. He acquitted himself well in Cleveland with toughness and he averaged 264 yards per game in eight starts in 2015. He could join the team on a reasonable one- to two-year deal.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick just finished a polarizing two seasons with the New York Jets, but he’s still less than two seasons removed from a 31-touchdown season. Fitzpatrick has a penchant for interceptions. Still, his backup quarterback resume is extensive.

Case Keenum: His two-season stint as a Rams starter unraveled in 2016, but the lack of playmakers around him was glaring. Keenum’s true identity is as a primary backup who can start a handful of games if the starter goes out.

NFL

Raiders LB Smith cooperating in police probe

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who missed the 2016 season as part of an NFL-mandated suspension, was mentioned in a report taken by the San Francisco Police Department for an incident that occurred over the weekend, police confirmed Monday.

Exact details of the report were not made public.

“He is cooperating with SFPD and the reporting party,” Officer Grace Gatpandan told ESPN.com. “The report was taken over the weekend and he was mentioned in the report.”

No arrests have been made.

TMZ Sports reported it was a domestic-related investigation earlier in the day.

The Raiders declined to comment to ESPN.com, though the team is forbidden from having any contact with Smith under the rules of the player’s suspension, which was handed down in November 2015 after several incidents that included arrests and a substance abuse infraction.

Raiders owner Mark Davis has taken a strong stance against cases of domestic violence, saying the team has a “zero-tolerance” policy.

“It’s just something we can’t tolerate,” Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2015. “I don’t know how to fix it in society but I know we can’t have it on our team.”

Raiders Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff lost his daughter Tracey in 1999 when an ex-boyfriend killed her, and the Raiders have been supporters of Biletnikoff’s mission to provide a home for women in need. Davis presented Biletnikoff with a check for $50,000 in 2015.

Smith applied for reinstatement this fall but the league tabled discussion to this offseason. The NFL Network reported Smith could be reinstated in March, so long as he stays out of trouble.

“I’m back,” Smith said last week on Instagram Live. “And there’s nobody who can stop me.”

Answering questions from viewers, Smith said, “You already know it. Raider Nation, we got this (stuff).”

Should Aldon Smith gain reinstatement, he could join the Raiders and reigning NFL defensive player of the year Khalil Mack for the start of their offseason program in April. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Should Smith gain reinstatement, he would be able to join the Raiders and reigning NFL defensive player of the year Khalil Mack for the start of their offseason program, which is scheduled to begin on April 17. Rookie minicamp is scheduled for May 5-7 with OTAs on May 23-25, May 30-June 1 and June 5-June 8. Mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 13-15.

Smith, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2011 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, has 47.5 sacks in 59 career games. He was released by the Niners in August of 2015 after his .

The 49ers released Smith, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2011 draft, in August 2015 after an arrest — his fifth since 2011 with his third involving DUI — and he signed with the Raiders. This latest suspension was handed down after nine games of the 2015 season.

A video of a man purportedly holding a blunt on a Periscope video account belonging to Smith showed up last offseason, though Smith initially denied it was him.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said he was “a little disappointed” late this past season after the league declined to reinstate Smith.

“Obviously, it’s not my job to make a rule, but from everything I’ve gathered, he’s done his duty to take care of all the things he needs to take care of,” Del Rio said.

“I see some of the guys that have been allowed back. My question is what’s the difference? It’s always a question mark. If a guy has a chance, he should have a chance to make a living.

“I don’t really agree with what’s gone down, but it’s not my job. We’ll move on as a team. That’s what we have to do, but I’m a little disappointed.”

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