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| If healthy, Terrell Owens can help some teams. But will any want him to? |
Earlier today, Terrell Owens conducted a media workout to show NFL teams that he's healthy and ready to return to the field. Say what you want about his head, but I haven't seen any player take better care of his body than T.O. does. In 2004, he famously returned from a broken leg in six weeks to play in the Super Bowl, and now he is reportedly healthy only six months after he tore his ACL. You can't deny his commitment to his craft.
On Friday evening, I heard Willie McGinest and Steve Mariucci discuss T.O.'s landing spot on NFL Network. McGinest proclaimed "we all know that Terrell Owens is going to a good caliber team that is already making the playoffs." Do we really?
In the last two seasons, Owens' locker room reputation has kept him off so many teams' lists, he was relegated to signing with the Bills and Bengals. Despite some respectable individual numbers (always his specialty), T.O.'s contributions didn't help those teams avoid a combined 10-22 record. Owens didn't reach 1,000 yards in either season, and there's little reason to believe that his numbers will improve coming off a major knee injury at the age of 37. And if his pride becomes a factor, Owens might price himself out for whatever team does decide to kick his tires. He made $2.7 million in Cincinnati last year, but teams may offer him half that much now.
As for possible suitors, the landing spots for Owens are limited:
Any team that is out of the playoff race won't want to pay Owens' salary, so that rules out the Dolphins, Jaguars, Colts, Broncos, Vikings, Panthers, Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams.
I don't think the Bills, Bengals, Cowboys, Eagles, or 49ers will want to go for Round Two with T.O., and neither will Carson Palmer with the Raiders.
Contenders like the Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Giants, Packers, Lions and Saints won't want Owens' ego anywhere near their locker room, and the Browns won't want him anywhere near their young QB.
The Falcons and Bears' passing games have struggled, but Owens can't help much there unless he plays on the o-line. The Chiefs and Buccaneers' issues have more to do with their quarterbacks than the weapons around them.
That leaves us with 5 teams. I'll go through them in order from least to most likely to entertain Owens as an option:
Houston Texans - Gary Kubiak is
fighting for his job this season, and Owens could be the life raft
that will keeps him afloat while Andre Johnson is out. But reports say that Johnson isn't far from his return, and Houston should be able to survive games against the Jaguars and Browns in the meantime.
Washington Redskins - The Redskins, once
division leaders, have now lost Santana Moss until December. Terrell Owens is no stranger to the NFC East, and he's a better
number one option than Jabbar Gaffney. But Mike Shanahan ushered in a
culture change when he exiled Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth, and
signing Owens would undermine that effort.
Tennessee Titans - Mike Munchak has already indicated that the Titans have an interest in Owens, and they definitely need a receiving threat after losing Kenny Britt for the season. But didn't we see this strategy fail last year with Randy Moss? Also, their blowout loss to the Texans on Sunday might send Tennessee down a rebuilding path and into the Jake Locker era.
New York Jets - Rex Ryan has never shied away from difficult personalities, and the Jets could be in the market for a receiver after the Derrick Mason experiment blew up in their faces. But they already have one disgruntled wideout on their hands, and Ryan is shifting his team back to a run-first mentality.
Baltimore Ravens - A team that has long needed more production from its receivers? Check. Strong veteran leadership and a head coach that can keep Owens in line? Check. Elite quarterback who can keep Owens happy? Well.... Still, Ray Lewis and the Ravens coveted Owens back when he was first a free agent in 2004. Seven years later, it may not be too late for him to help their cause.
If you'll notice, even the most ideal landing spots for Owens still have a caveat to them. It's very possible that, after all is said and done, no team gives T.O. an offer. When a player can put up 1,300 yard and 13 touchdowns per season, teams are willing to take a chance on him, no matter if he's a locker room cancer and coach-killer. But once he can no longer offer that production, the risk outweighs the reward. Owens can still contribute to a contending team, but it's possible that the bridges he's burned over the years won't allow him to. If all these teams pass on him, then he'll only have himself to blame.
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