Bargain shopping

May the month to pick up late-year difference-makers

The pro football personnel business is a 365 days of the year job. Take a day off from trying to upgrade your talent and you fall behind in the race for having the most talent on the field when the season starts.

May is a great month to pick up bargains and backups at minimum prices. Some teams are hard at work filling gaps, building depth and preparing for the fact that you never have enough good players. Remember: Players signed in May start in December.

I always liked the month of May because the super contracts of the first few months of free agency are over, the draft has brought the harsh reality that teams are preparing to move on with younger players and unsigned veterans are starring down the gun barrel of another wave of marquee name players coming free June 1. However, there is a cap issue that bears explaining that makes it possible for even the teams with very little space to grab a player or two.

After the draft, every team has at least 51 players under contract. When you add a veteran, his salary only counts if it's higher than the 51st player already on the team. For example, typically if a draft pick is last in the top 51 he counts on the cap for $225,000 (the rookie minimum). If a team signs a veteran for $525,000 -- like the Raiders did when they acquired veteran guard Tom Ackerman -- his salary replaces the rookie's cap charge and the Raiders only have to come up with $300,000 of space. That's a bargain for a veteran with starting experience.

The Texans saw the opportunity to upgrade their roster by replacing linebacker Robert Jones with linebacker Allan Aldridge. The Texans gave Aldridge a signing bonus of only $25,000 (about what a seventh-round pick makes). Because Allan is a veteran, he qualifies for the "cap relief technique" of a maximum cap charge of $450,000 -- even though the team paid him $675,000. It did not cost Houston a thing to swap linebackers and, in its opinion, upgrade the roster.

San Diego has been hard at work looking for bargains, and when there's little or no money up front there's not much risk. Marty Shottenheimer will give "problem child" Tamarick Vanover another chance and if he steps out of line between now and August the Chargers lose nothing. San Diego also picked up Atlanta guard Bob Hallen, who started 12 games last year. That's the kind of inexpensive depth that May can bring. Those two moves hardly affected GM John Butler's salary cap.

Jon Gruden made a living with the Raiders picking up guys like Tyronne Wheatley for the minimum in the spring, and he is up to it again. Gruden grabbed punter Tom Tupa for $750,000 and the cap charge is $450,000. Tupa didn't cost more than $200,000 of space and if he can't punt up to his standards -- which the Bucs will find out during camp -- Tupa won't cost a thing to cut.

Head coaches complain there is very little quality depth anymore in the NFL. There are some good veterans walking the street who will sign during the month of May There's a reason tackle Roman Oben is being recruited like a highly touted free agent right now. Also, guys like Max Lane, Mo Williams and Rich Tylski will find a new home this month.

They are the "deals" of the month and May is "good deal" month for personnel people. Just ask the Saints, who snared former Eagles center Bubba Miller for the minumum.

Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNNSI.com.

 

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