Targeted Cornerback Mike Jenkins Update
Late last week it was reported that the Colts are aggressively pursuing former Pro Bowl cornerback Mike Jenkins from the Dallas Cowboys. While little can be confirmed regarding how much Indianapolis General Manager Ryan Grigson is willing to give to obtain the Cowboys cornerback, ESPN's John Clayton opines that if Dallas does choose to move Jenkins -- he believes they will -- it will likely not be until training camp.
If Clayton's hunch is correct, Colts fans will have to hold out for any movement until August. Needless to say, the downside to waiting for the Colts is losing time to get Jenkins acclimated to Chuck Pagano and Greg Manusky's defense.
Then again, the Cowboys attempt to drive up Jenkins value by improving their leverage in trade negotiations could back-fire if they wait too long. The sooner a team is able to bring Jenkins into their lockeroom and allow him to start digesting their playbook, the higher the likelihood that the former Pro Bowler will have a successful 2012 campaign. No one know this more than Jenkins, who will likely get more and more vocal about his desire to be traded as time goes on.
If he insists that he will not play for the Cowboys and makes it clear to potential trade partners that he wants out of Dallas, the Cowboys could lose their leverage. This could be good for interested teams like the Colts -- as it could allow them to offer less. It could also ultimately force Dallas to cut Jenkins and get nothing.
It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out. In this writer's opinion, the Cowboys would be wise to keep their media campaign insisting on keeping Jenkins short and loud while actively considering offers in-house. The Colts would be wise to stick to their guns with their trade offer and allow Dallas to sweat it out. The longer it drags on, the better it could be for Indianapolis (financially speaking).
It's already too bad, that the Colts lost a 5th rounder, I don't want to lose more draft picks. Maybe a 6th at most, but rather nothing.
This guy is a bum. Is overaggressive and is burned too often, doesn't like to tackle, is a FA next season and is coming off an injury. Also is a head-case.
2 things, there is no way they are cutting this guy, the second I hope it does drag out.
If it drags out this allows us to really see how the young guys play in training camp, it would be a shame to stunt their growth to introduce Jenkins in there if they are really showing some potential. Another thing is Jenkins has experience and playing corner should not be as big a transition as some other positions, the biggest thing will probably be chemistry with the rest of the secondary.
I really hope the Colts did not offer a 2nd for this guy, reason being, Dallas will use this as leverage and could really try to up the price for other teams, I don't think it will work but my problem is I think he is worth a 3rd at the most if he can get back to how he played a few years back, if the Colts really want this guy, in the end they will not have much wiggle room, I doubt Dallas would take a 3rd from a team that had previously offered a 2nd.
