Five players franchise tagged, one in transition

The deadline to apply tags to players has now passed. Although there was a $10 million increase in
cap space, there wasn't much activity. Perhaps it is in hopes of landing players from what looks to be a stellar free agent class. Only four teams opted to use the franchise tag which keeps a player on his current team for another year. There was one team (Miami) that used the transition tag. Here's a quick rundown of players who were tagged:

Dez Bryant, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys

There was little question to how this game was going to play out, especially after the video that may or may not be leaked some time soon. Bryant is a top five receiver in this league and many believe he's the best wideout not nicknamed Megatron. With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones questioning Bryant's responsibility but loving his game, tagging the receiver at the price of $12.8 million was an easy choice. He might pay for that choice next offseason but for now the move will pay off.


Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver, Denver Broncos

Thomas received the non-exclusive franchise tag which means he can still talk to other teams about signing a contract. The kicker? If he signs, that team would owe two first round draft picks to the Broncos. That's a high price to pay, but technically possible. Thomas staying in Denver was obvious. He's Peyton Manning's best option and he's a freak. Thomas isn't the player that Bryant is but he's next to impossible to handle one-on-one.

Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end, New York Giants

JPP registered 12.5 sacks last season. He's the picture of what a 4-3 end should look like. No way he was leaving New York. Re-signing Pierre-Paul in the future could become complicated because of the rising price for edge rushers. Also, once Ndamukong Suh sets a new market value for top tier defensive linemen, JPP will be looking to cash in.

Justin Houston, "linebacker", Kansas City

This could be the ugliest tagging situation of all. Houston was the 2014 sacks leader and broke the franchise record for sacks in a season. His production has been ridiculous for the last two seasons. Kansas City will want to do its best to keep Houston, hence the franchise tag. But the Chiefs can't put current and future players in jeopardy for the sake of signing one player, no matte how good. Houston feels like a deal should've been reached already and is reportedly considering a holdout until week 10. If that's not enough, the never-ending fight as to whether edge rushers in a 3-4 defense are linebackers or defensive ends is going to brought up again (See Terrell Suggs, 2008). The franchise price tag for linebackers is $13.2 million while the price for ends is set at $14.8 million. Per Pro Football Talk, Houston is consulting with the NFLPA on the matter. For now, the best edge rusher in the NFL will remain a Chief. But at what costs?

Stephen Gostkowski, kicker (bruh), New England Patriots

In typical New England Patriots fashion, they opted for the cheaper tag ($4.1 million) and the steady position of kicker over the higher priced proposition of tagging safety Devin McCourty at $9.6 million. Gostkowski's one of the NFL's best kickers. That's enough for the Pats to justify this move.

Transition tagged: Charles Clay, tight end, Miami Dolphins

The scarcely used transition tag (although it was used once just last season) has been applied to Dolphins jack-of-all-trades tight end Charles Clay. This move will cost the Dolphins $7 million which is $1.3 million cheaper than applying the franchise tag. The disadvantage to the transition tag is that if a team signs Clay to a contract the Dolphins refuse to match, there is no compensation for the Dolphins.