Jude Adjei-Barimah

Extra Points: Packers, Martin, Draft, Raiders

Bashaud Breeland‘s workout parade concluded in Green Bay, but his Packers contract is nearly its expiration. The veteran cornerback would re-enter the market in a better position, doing so a year after a golf cart-related injury harpooned his value. But Breeland, who said many teams would not medically clear him after his foot injury, would be interested if the Packers approached him about staying before he hit the market. Although, he said the Packers have not discussed an extension with him yet.

If I have the opportunity, I would,” Breeland said, via Ryan Wood of Packersnews.com, of a possible extension or offseason Packers re-signing. “At this point in time, the Green Bay Packers have first dibs because I’m here. They can make it happen at any moment.”

The Packers are not known as extravagant spenders but are keen on locking up their own talent. Breeland has only played in four Packers games, but on Sunday, the former Redskins starter recovered a fumble and returned an interception for a score. Both Tramon Williams and Davon House‘s contacts expire at season’s end as well, but the Packers still have recent high draft picks Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson and Kevin King locked up long-term. Next year’s cornerback market may include the likes of Darqueze Dennard, Ronald Darby, Bradley Roby and Bryce Callahan while also housing veterans Morris Claiborne, Kareem Jackson and Brent Grimes.

Here is the latest from around the league as Week 14 winds down.

  • Zack Martin re-aggravated his MCL sprain during the fourth quarter of the Cowboys‘ overtime win over the Eagles on Sunday, and Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes the All-Pro guard will likely be limited in practice this week. Martin has never missed a start in his five-year career, but MCL sprains are often multi-week injuries. The possibility Martin misses multiple games in order to right himself for an expected playoff game is on the table, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. If Martin does sit against the Colts, Connor Williams would start at right guard, per Archer.
  • So far, the prevailing word surrounding possible top-five pick Justin Herbert is another year in Eugene, Ore. But longtime evaluator Gil Brandt, now with NFL.com, tweets he would make substantial bet that the Oregon quarterback declares for the 2019 draft and becomes a top-five selection. Teams like the Giants, Jaguars and Buccaneers would likely be interested if Herbert left early.
  • Texas Tech wide receiver Antoine Wesley will depart school early. Responsible for 1,410 yards this season — third-most in Red Raiders history behind Michael Crabtree and Keke Coutee — Wesley announced Monday (on Twitter) he will leave Lubbock and head to the NFL.
  • Scot McCloughan could be a name to watch in the Raiders‘ GM or de facto GM search, Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The former Redskins and 49ers GM interviewed with the Raiders for a position under Reggie McKenzie after the 2014 season, but Tafur notes McCloughan wanted personnel control. He then took Washington’s GM job before an ugly divorce. Jon Gruden and McCloughan’s tenures in Green Bay briefly overlapped in the mid-1990s, and Tafur notes McCloughan got along well with Jay Gruden in Washington.
  • The Broncos worked out 15 players on Monday. Defensive linemen Winston Craig, Jon Cunningham, Marcus Hardison and Christian Lacouture took part in the group audition, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Defensive backs Jude Adjei-Barimah, Sojourn Shelton and Henre’ Toliver joined linebacker Greer Martini in working out in Denver, per Klis.

Lions, Browns Audition Jude Adjei-Barimah

Jude Adjei-Barimah is on the workout circuit. This week, the cornerback audition for the Browns and Lions, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

[RELATED: Lions Unlikely To Keep 3 Quarterbacks]

The former Bucs corner a combined 62 tackles in 2015 and 2016. Last year, he missed the entire season with a knee injury. Barimah, who just turned 26, was medically cleared shortly before he was non-tendered by the Bucs in February. We haven’t heard his name much in recent months, but he could be on the verge of finding work.

Adjei-Barimiah averaged 53% playtime on defense for the Bucs and played on roughly a third of the their special teams during his two seasons with the club. Whether he signs with the Browns or Lions or another team, he’ll likely be ticketed for lots of ST work.

Buccaneers Won’t Tender Adarius Glanton, Jude Adjei-Barimah

The Buccaneers will not tender offers to a pair of restricted free agents — linebacker Adarius Glanton and cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah — according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). As such, both players will become unrestricted free agents on the 2018 league year begins on March 14.Adarius Glanton (Vertical)

Glanton had appeared in 35 games for the Buccaneers over the past three seasons, and started four contests in 2017. During that time, Glanton managed 19 tackles and one sack while playing nearly as many snaps on special teams (213) as he did on defense (284). Pro Football Focus was down on Glanton’s play, assigning him poor grades of 47.4 in run defense and 48.6 in pass coverage. Now entering his age-28 season, Glanton spent the final two weeks of 2017 on injured reserve after suffering a broken leg.

Barimah, 25, missed the entire 2017 campaign with a knee injury but has since been medically cleared. The former undrafted free agent appeared in 23 games with Tampa Bay from 2015-16 and averaged 53% playtime on defense. Adjei-Barimiah was also a key contributor on special teams, as he played on roughly a third of the Buccaneers’ ST snaps during those two seasons.

Per Over the Cap, an original rounder tender — which wouldn’t have netted Tampa Bay any compensation had Adjei-Barimah or Glanton left via an offer sheet from another club — is projected to be worth $1.908MM.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Rams, 49ers, Cowboys

Hedge fund manager and Steelers minority owner David Tepper is a name to watch in the Panthers‘ sale, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link). Tepper, based in Miami, reportedly has a net worth of $11.4 billion, so he certainly has the capital to pull off a purchase of the Carolina franchise. A minority owner of the Steelers since 2009, Tepper boasts 5% of the Pittsburgh club. He’s the third candidate to be linked to the Panthers ownership, joining South Carolina businessman Ben Navarro and former UFC owner Frank Fertitta.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Wideout Tavon Austin is widely expected to be released by the Rams this offseason, and Los Angeles could end up seeing a bit of financial relief if Austin is signed by another club. Austin’s contract contains offsets, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, meaning the Rams will save money if and when Austin lands a new contract. Austin, 26, will earn a fully guaranteed $5MM roster bonus whether he’s on LA’s roster or not, but the Rams will have to pay the 5’8″ pass-catcher another $3MM if he’s still around on March 16. A former first-round pick, Austin managed only 13 receptions for 47 yards in 2017.
  • Buccaneers cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah was medically cleared on Tuesday after missing the entire 2017 campaign with a knee injury, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The 25-year-old Adjei-Barimah appeared in 23 games with Tampa Bay from 2015-16 and averaged 53% playtime on defense. Adjei-Barimiah was also a key contributor on special teams, as he played on roughly a third of the Buccaneers’ ST snaps during those two seasons. He’s now scheduled to become an restricted free agent this offseason, but it’s unclear if Tampa will tender him a contract, per Auman.
  • Daniel Kilgore‘s new three-year deal with the 49ers is worth nearly $11.78MM and and contains $4.825MM fully guaranteed, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Kilgore was a backup or injured for much of the first five years of his career, but he’s started 29 games for the 49ers over the past two seasons. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus ranked Kilgore as just the 23rd-best center in the league in 2017, but San Francisco is clearly higher on him than that finish would indicate.
  • The Cowboys have hired Ken Amato as a defensive assistant, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Amato, who spent nine years with the Titans as a long snapper, worked with Dallas as a special teams assistant in 2017.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/17

Today’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: DB Tyquwan Glass, LB Willie Mays
  • Waived: RB De’Mard Llorens, DE Caushaud Lyons

New York Giants

  • Signed: OL Matt Rotheram (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC Notes: Bucs, Norwell, Cowboys

Buccaneers nickel corner Jude Adjei-Barimah will have surgery to repair the patellar fracture in his right knee and will be placed on IR, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. When we first learned of the injury, we heard that it could sideline Adjei-Barimah for roughly four months, meaning he would miss most of the 2017 campaign. Stroud’s report suggests that the 25-year-old DB will in fact miss the entire season.

In other bad news for the Bucs, linebacker Devante Bond, who was expected to open the season as the starting strongside linebacker, has a sprained PCL in his right knee, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Bond could still be ready for Week 1, but it may be four to six weeks before he plays again. Meanwhile, Laine adds that QB Ryan Griffin has a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder that will take a few weeks to heal. The team is not expected to sign another quarterback, which means that Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely win the backup job.

Now let’s take a look at a few more NFC rumors:

  • Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to bring in another kicker in the wake of Roberto Aguayo‘s dismissal, but the new signing will be used for camp/preseason reps. That suggests that Nick Folk, and not a new acquisition, will be the team’s starting kicker.
  • Panthers guard Andrew Norwell is playing under a one-year RFA tender worth $2.75MM this year, but he hopes to get a long-term deal before the end of the season, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Norwell graded out as the league’s No. 11 guard in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, and has started 29 games over the past two seasons, firmly entrenching himself at left guard opposite Trai Turner. Turner, of course, recently received a lucrative extension from Carolina, and Norwell wants in on the action. He has even hired Turner’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to help him get paid.
  • Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot has until Wednesday to appeal his six-game suspension, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Elliott will likely file the necessary paperwork on Tuesday.
  • Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers was hugely impressive in Dallas’ preseason game against the Rams last night, posting four catches and a touchdown. That builds upon the solid showing he had in the team’s first preseason matchup last week, and it is clear that he is the most explosive tight end on the roster. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Gathers has come a long way in a short time — the Cowboys selected Gathers, a collegiate basketball player, in the sixth round of the 2016 draft — and makes the fairly obvious point that Gathers has a legitimate shot to make the team.
  • The Redskins are very thin at outside linebacker following Trent Murphy‘s season-ending ACL tear, so they are moving ILB Pete Robertson outside to give themselves another pass-rusher, as Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post writes. Robertson, a UDFA in 2016 who has yet to play a regular season snap, did lead the Big 12 with 13 sacks as an outside linebacker for Texas Tech in 2014.

Bucs’ Jude Adjei-Barimah Suffers Injury

Buccaneers cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah has suffered a patellar fracture in his right knee, a league source tells Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. The injury could sideline him for roughly four months, a timetable that would keep him out of action for most of the season. "<strong

[RELATED: Buccaneers Sign Marqueston Huff]

This isn’t Adjei-Barimah’s first rodeo when it comes to the injury. He also suffered a patellar fracture in the same knee late last season and he spent a chunk of this offseason rehabbing from it.

Adjei-Barimah was hoping to reprise his role as the team’s starting nickel cornerback in 2017. The Bucs will now have to look elsewhere for help at the increasingly important position.

The 25-year-old appeared in ten games for the Bucs last season, missing six due to a combination of injury and suspension. He finished out with 22 tackles and two sacks.

Although he’s more of a safety and a special teams player, the recent signing of Marqueston Huff may help the Bucs’ overall defensive back depth while Adjei-Barimah is out.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/17

The latest minor moves…

  • Raiders defensive end Denico Autry has signed his RFA tender, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). The Raiders gave the 2014 undrafted free agent an original-round tender, leading to speculation that he could draw interest from elsewhere. Instead, Autry will return to the Raiders on the heels of back-to-back three-sack seasons. ERFAs Seth Roberts (WR) and Denver Kirkland (G) are also back in the fold, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter).
  • The Seahawks have re-signed linebacker Kache Palacio, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Palacio, a former fullback who went undrafted out of Washington State last year, spent most of 2016 on Seattle’s practice squad.
  • Lions ERFAs Brandon Copeland (DE), Kerry Hyder (DT) and T.J. Jones (WR) have signed their tenders, tweets Birkett. Dolphins ERFAs Mike Hull (LB) and Anthony Steen (C) did the same earlier Monday, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Panthers have re-upped restricted free agent guard Andrew Norwell and a pair of exclusive rights free agents – center Tyler Larsen and punter Michael Palardy – writes Bryan Strickland of their website. Carolina used a second-round tender on Norwell, who will earn $2.746MM in 2017. Norwell combined for 29 starts over the previous two seasons and ranked 11th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified guards last year.
  • Steelers RFA cornerback Ross Cockrell has inked his original-round tender, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Cockrell went in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, so the Steelers would have been entitled to a fourth-rounder had Cockrell signed elsewhere and they elected against matching the offer. The 25-year-old caught on with the Steelers in 2015 and has since totaled 31 appearances, 23 starts and two interceptions. Cockrell started in every Steelers game last year, and his performance ranked an improve 28th among 111 qualified corners at PFF.
  • Chiefs RFA kicker Cairo Santos has signed his tender, per Schefter (on Twitter). Santos, undrafted in 2014, received a low tender; as such, Kansas City wouldn’t have been entitled to compensation had he gone elsewhere. The three-year veteran has connected on 84.3 percent of field goal attempts, including 88.6 percent last season (good for fifth in the league).
  • Lions offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas has signed his RFA tender, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions assigned Lucas an original-rounder tender last month, so they wouldn’t have gotten a pick had the 2014 undrafted free agent signed elsewhere and they chose not to match. Lucas is now slated to make $1.797MM this year in Detroit, where he has started in six of 35 career appearances.
  • The Buccaneers have re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin, cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah, tight end Cameron Brate, linebacker Adarius Glanton, and wide receivers Adam Humphries and Freddie Martino, per Scott Smith of the team’s website. As a restricted free agent, Griffin is the only one of the bunch who could have potentially gone elsewhere (the rest were exclusive rights free agents). The Bucs tendered the 2013 undrafted free agent at an original-round level last month, and he’ll now try to win the No. 2 role behind Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay’s previous second-stringer, Mike Glennon, is now the Bears’ starter.
  • RFA defensive back Marcus Burley and ERFA running back George Atkinson III are returning to the Browns, per a team announcement. Burley, undrafted in 2013, received an original-round tender. The former Seahawk is coming off his first year in Cleveland, where he appeared in 12 games and played just under 40 percent of the Browns’ special teams snaps.
  • Fullback Tommy Bohanon and receiver Larry Pinkard have signed with the Jaguars, tweets the team’s account. Bohanon is the only with NFL experience, having logged 36 appearances and 14 starts as a Jet from 2013-15.
  • Speaking of the Jets, they have re-signed linebacker Julian Stanford (via Randy Lange of the team’s site). The Jets could Stanford on Friday, but both sides knew that was only a procedural move. Last season was the first as a Jet for the 26-year-old Stanford, who appeared in nine games (two starts) and played about a quarter of their defensive snaps and a third of their special teams snaps.

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/27/17

Today’s minor moves:

  • The 49ers have re-signed exclusive rights free agents Carl Bradford (linebacker) and Mike Purcell (defensive lineman), the team announced. San Francisco claimed Bradford, a former Green Bay fourth-round pick, off waivers near the tail end of last season, and the 24-year-old went on to play in two games with the Niners. Purcell, meanwhile, has spent the past three seasons with the 49ers. In 2016, he appeared in 15 games (five starts) and played on roughly a quarter of San Francisco’s defensive snaps.
  • The Buccaneers have re-signed exclusive rights free agents WR Adam Humphries (wide receiver), DB Jude Adjei-Barimah (defensive back), Adarius Glanton (linebacker), and Freddie Martino (wide receiver), reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Humphries (55 receptions, 622 yards, two scores) and Adjei-Barimah (290 defensive snaps before a PED suspension) played the largest roles among this group in 2016.
  • The Cardinals announced that they’re re-signed linebacker Gabe Martin, who was an exclusive rights free agent. Martin, 24, played in eight games last season but spent most of his time on special teams. The former undrafted free agent was placed on injured reserve in November after suffering a knee injury.
  • The Jaguars announced that they’ve signed offensive lineman Greg Van Roten. Van Roten, 27, hasn’t appeared in the NFL since 2013, when he played in three games for Green Bay. After spending a few months with Seattle in 2014, Van Roten signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where he’s played the past two campaigns.
  • The Colts have agreed to sign offensive lineman Fahn Cooper, the club announced today. Cooper, a 2016 sixth-round choice out of Ole Miss, spent his rookie season on the 49ers’ practice squad. The 23-year-old was placed on San Francisco’s taxi squad injured reserve list in November.
  • The Saints have waived offensive lineman Avery Young, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young, 24, went undrafted out of Auburn in 2016, and ended up spending the entirety of his rookie campaign on the non-football injury list.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/16

A rundown of Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Jake Kumerow, LB Trevor Roach

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

San Diego Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins