Veteran wide receiver Chad Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, has signed with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, the league announced today (via Twitter). The longtime Bengal last played a regular-season NFL game for the Patriots in 2011.
Johnson, who totaled 766 receptions for more than 11,000 yards and 67 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons, was signed by the Dolphins in 2012, but was released that summer following his arrest due to a domestic incident. The 36-year-old recently worked out for the Alouettes and GM Jim Popp indicated over the weekend that talks between the two sides had “escalated” (link via ESPN.com).
With Johnson on board, Montreal will be looking to bounce back after a season in which the team finished with an 8-10 record, its worst mark since 2007.
To kick off the day, we rounded up a handful of draft-related items out of the AFC. Now let’s shift our attention to the NFC and check out the latest….
We heard earlier in the week that Jake Matthews has a visit scheduled next week with the Falcons, but before that happens, Atlanta is sending a contingent to Auburn to meet with the draft’s other top offensive tackle, Greg Robinson, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (via Twitter).
Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along word of a pair of tight ends visiting or working out for NFC teams. According to Wilson, Iowa’s C.J. Fiedorowicz, who was previously visited the Jets and Buccaneers, is visiting the Lions today, while Cincinnati’s Blake Annen recently had a private workout for the Eagles.
Cal linebacker Khairi Fortt, who met with the Ravens earlier in April, is visiting the Seahawks today, tweets Rich Cirminiello of CampusInsiders.com.
Chris Russell of ESPN 980 reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins are bringing in Georgia tech outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu for a visit this week. Attaochu indicated last month that Washington was one of the teams showing the most interest in him.
THURSDAY, 10:26am: The Vikings have officially signed Coleman, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 2:13pm: Free agent safety Kurt Coleman, who visited the Vikings last week, plans to sign a deal with the team, according to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Vensel reports that the two sides agreed to terms on a contract today, after Minnesota reportedly extended an offer to Coleman following his visit. It’ll be a one-year deal (Twitter link).
Coleman, who turns 26 in July, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. Although he was the team’s starter at free safety in 2011 and 2012, he ranked 85th out of 88 total qualified safeties in ’12, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Those grades may have contributed to the team reducing Coleman’s role in 2013, a season in which he played just 74 defensive snaps. However, he still played a significant role on special teams, racking up nine tackles in kick and punt coverage.
The Jets and Colts also hosted Coleman for visits before the unrestricted free agent reached an agreement with the Vikings. In Minnesota, Coleman will likely find himself battling for playing time – or even a roster spot – among a group of safeties that includes returning players Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo, and Jamarca Sanford, all of whom started at least seven games at safety for the Vikes last season.
As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was in Allen Park yesterday to visit Lions coaches and front office personnel as one of the team’s 30 pre-draft visits. Of all the prospects eligible to be drafted in 2014, Clowney is perhaps the least likely to be picked outside the top five, meaning he’s a lock to be off the board by the time the Lions pick tenth overall.
Spending so much time looking at and meeting with players they know won’t be available at No. 10, such as Clowney and Clemson wideout Sammy Watkins, seems like a waste of time for the Lions unless the club is strongly considering moving up in the draft. It’s possible that Detroit is setting up an elaborate smokescreen, but that doesn’t seem all that beneficial, so we can apply Occam’s razor here — the most plausible explanation is likely the real one.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explored the subject this morning and reached the same conclusion, speculating that perhaps the Lions are trying to get the attention of teams like the Texans and Rams at the top of the draft. In Florio’s view, the Lions would have a better chance at moving up at a reasonable cost if they can get another team to instigate trade negotiations, perhaps playing some of those clubs at the top of the draft against one another.
Still, even if the Lions want to move up, trading into the top three or four from No. 10 won’t come cheaply. Only two years ago, the Rams, who hold this year’s No. 2 pick, traded that same selection for the No. 6 pick, two additional first-rounders, and a second-rounder. No player in 2014’s draft appears to be as strongly coveted as Robert Griffin III was in 2012, so the cost for the second overall pick shouldn’t be quite as exorbitant this time around. But considering most pundits and observers view this year’s draft class as exceptionally deep and talented, the Lions may be better off keeping all their picks and simply selecting the best player available at No. 10.
The question of whether the Lions should trade up largely depends on what the cost would be, so let’s put that aside for now and get your take on whether or not the team will trade up. Feel free to weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts.
Within his latest Read Option feature on Bleacher Report, Dan Pompei focuses on what the Texans will do with the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, which gets underway three weeks from today. It’s a question we explored ourselves earlier in the week, asking you in a poll what Houston ought to do with the pick. As we noted, selecting a quarterback or a defender like Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack seem like the best options for the Texans if they keep the pick. However, more than 30% of you suggested the club’s best move would be to trade the pick, and Pompei seems to agree, writing that moving down would provide “multiple solutions” for the Texans, who “wouldn’t necessarily have to exact a ransom in return.”
Here’s more on the draft from around the AFC:
We heard yesterday that Miami quarterback Stephen Morris was drawing interest from the Dolphins, and Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes that Morris has a workout lined up with the Broncos as well.
Noting (via Twitter) that the Jets‘ visits with wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback DarquezeDennard are scheduled for next week, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News provides an updated list of all of the team’s pre-draft visitors.
The Ravens, who are considering drafting a safety in next month’s draft, brought in Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward for a visit, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Craig Kelley of Colts.com provides a rundown of the 20 prospects with local ties the Colts worked out earlier this week.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will be in Atlanta next week to visit the Falcons, a league source confirms to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. Clowney is said to be close to shutting down workouts with teams, but will still be making visits to clubs at the top of the draft. The Falcons have the No. 6 pick and Clowney would be an excellent fit in Atlanta, but the club would likely have to trade up in the draft to have a real shot at the South Carolina standout. The latest from around the league..
New Panthers safety Roman Harper told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that he chose Carolina in part because he wanted to go somewhere that was warm and would give him a chance to play. Cold weather and losing would be the quickest path to retirement for him, he explained.
The Saints brought in former center Jonathan Goodwin for a visit today, a league source tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A reunion is possible for the two sides and makes a good deal of sense in Triplett’s view.
The Saints brought Goodwin in for a visit today, but the Cardinals won’t do the same, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. That’s because offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin doesn’t want to coach his younger brother.
Florida State running back Devonta Freeman is visiting the Vikings on Monday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
DeSean Jackson might be getting all of the ink, but he’s not the only notable addition for the Redskins this offseason. Larry Michael of CSNWashington.com (video link) sat down with wide receiver Andre Roberts to talk about coming to D.C. Roberts likely came to the Skins thinking that he would be the No. 2 receiving option but he’ll be fighting for looks with Pierre Garcon and Jackson. The latest out of the NFC East..
Free agent guard Davin Joseph, who hasn’t generated many rumors since being released by the Buccaneers in early March, has met with the Cowboys, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, Moore adds that free agent receiver LaRon Byrd, after meeting with the Giants earlier this week, will work out for Dallas tomorrow.
The Cowboys also hosted Texas defensive tackle Chris Whaley for a visit yesterday and today, which included a dinner with members of the team’s staff, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Wisconsin defensive back Dez Southward visited the Redskins this week and has also worked out for the Patriots, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The speedy Southward is viewed as capable of playing at either safety position.
Jaguars wide receiver Mike Brown signed his exclusive rights free agent deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Brown’s tender was reportedly worth $495K.
Say what you will about the 2014 Jets, but they’re not lacking star power. Earlier today, the Jets inkedChris Johnson to a two-year, $8MM deal with an additional $1MM possible through incentives. The Jets also managed to negotiate a team option in the deal, giving them the ability to hit the eject button in February 2015 if things don’t work out as planned. Here’s a look at some of the reaction to Johnson joining up with Gang Green..
The running back told Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean (on Twitter) that he has “a fresh start” and will “go out there with a chip on my shoulder.” Even though the Titans didn’t “want him anymore” and he’s sad to be leaving them, he’s very excited to come to New York and join forces with a team “on the rise.” Johnson added that the Titans never asked him to take a pay cut or to restructure his contract to stay (AlllinksgoingtoTwitter).
Given Johnson’s late entry to the market and the ongoing devaluation of the tailback position, it’s a very good deal for Johnson, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It’s also a good deal for the Jets, who were criticized for not closing the deal with Donald Brown early in free agency. They wound up getting a much better player for not much more money than Brown received in San Diego.
More from Florio, who adds that the money given to Johnson strongly suggests he’ll be the feature back in New York. Johnson will make $4MM in 2014 while incumbent Chris Ivory will earn $1MM. Also in the mix is Bilal Powell, who will earn $1.4MM in ’14.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com gives a few thoughts on the Jets‘ signing of Johnson. The move, he writes, gives the Jets some much needed star power on offense. While his recent slippage is cause for concern, CJ knows how to score, with 58 career touchdowns.
With Johnson, Michael Vick, and Eric Decker in the fold, Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) looks into his crystal ball to see what the Jets’ offense will look like this season.
8:22pm: A 49ers source says James would welcome a trade if it meant more playing time elsewhere, tweets Bill Williamson of ESPN. However, the source wouldn’t go so far as to say that the tailback requested a trade.
7:19pm: The 49ers are shopping running back LaMichael James, a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The 2012 second-round pick could be used to vault San Francisco higher up in next month’s draft.
When asked in February if he was shopping James, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said, “No discussions. LaMichael is a 49er. He’ll continue to be a 49er.” Two months later, it appears that stance has changed quite a bit. The 24-year-old ran for 5,082 yards and scored 53 rushing touchdowns while at Oregon but hasn’t seen much burn at the NFL level. Today, he finds himself behind Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, and possible Marcus Lattimore on the depth chart at tailback this season.
James served as the team’s primary returner last year and played well in that role, averaging nearly 11 yards per punt return, but Barrows’ source says James has made it clear to the team he wants a bigger role as running back as well. He carried the ball only 12 times in the 2013 regular season and just once in the playoffs.
Barrows notes that the Eagles, at one time, would have been a logical suitor since Chip Kelly was James’ coach at Oregon and that the man who scouted James for the 49ers, Tom Gamble, is now with the Eagles organization. Philadelphia, however, filled its running back void with Darren Sproles earlier this offseason.