The NFL Free Agent rumors for 2014 for TJ Ward have the Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons as potential targets and the Niners could get into the mix if the Cleveland Browns sign Donte Whitner, which they are expected to do on Tuesday when the 4 pm deadline passes.
The Browns have over $40 million in cap space heading into the offseason and they are looking to be aggressive and they freed up even more space after releasing D'Qwell Jackson. According to Pro Football Talk, the Browns are signing Whitner on Tuesday and that means Ward is on his way out of town and this comes after his agent said to ESPN that he was looking to test the market if the Browns did not want to negotiate a deal with their free agent and now he is very likely to leave Cleveland. The Niners now could counter with a move toward Ward, who has been getting plenty of attention, as PFT reports that 11 teams have contacted him with interest.
Whitner is 28 years old and he started all 16 games last season and one reason he likes the Browns is the fact that he from the city and played for Ohio State and that means his signing would be a homecoming. Ward was a Pro Bowl player and he had 112 tackles and two picks last season and now he looks set to cash in. The Eagles reportedly were looking at Jairus Byrd as an option at safety and now that Ward is moving on, CBS Sports reports that the Eagles will be in the mix as well.
Byrd in the top safety on the market and CBS reports that the Lions have looked into both players as well and the Eagles would be wise to sign at least one of the players, as they did not have the best defensive backfield last season. Ward plays the run stronger than Byrd, who is one of the better cover safeties in the league and that could push Philly to go after him instead.
The Lions and the Niners both have needs at safety and the Denver Broncos also are a team that could be in the mix. The team allowed the most passing yards per game through most of the season and finished at the bottom part of the league and adding someone like Ward would be an instant upgrade. The defense needs to get better for the Broncos, while the Lions are looking to replace Louis Delmas and Ward could be their target.
