HEADLINES

Month: April 2014

Ravens Sign Justin Forsett

April 7th, 2014 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY 10:02am: Like Cody, Forsett also received a veteran-minimum deal for $730k, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

FRIDAY 11:12am: A day after agreeing to terms with tight end Owen Daniels, the Ravens have added more depth to the offense by bringing aboard another player who spent time with Gary Kubiak in Houston. Baltimore has signed running back Justin Forsett to a one-year contract, the club announced today in a press release.

Forsett, who will join his fourth team in four years by inking a deal with the Ravens, played for current Baltimore offensive coordinator Kubiak in 2012 with the Texans. Although the 28-year-old’s usage has declined over the years since he tallied 118 carries and 33 receptions for the Seahawks in 2010, he’ll provide some depth in the Ravens’ backfield, and could contribute on third downs as well.

Given Ray Rice‘s legal troubles and the fact that Bernard Pierce continues to recover from a shoulder injury, the Ravens had been in the market for a running back. Signing Forsett will help fortify the position, but it won’t necessarily preclude the club from drafting a back in the middle rounds next month, tweets Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.

Ravens Re-Sign Terrence Cody

April 7th, 2014 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY 9:55am: Cody’s one-year deal is for $730k, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

FRIDAY 2:01pm: The Ravens have re-signed free agent defensive tackle Terrence Cody, the team announced today. It’s the latest move in a busy Friday for the Ravens, who also officially inked Owen Daniels and Justin Forsett to deals.

After starting all 16 regular season games for the Ravens in 2011, Cody has played a part-time role for the club in the two seasons since then, and will likely provide defensive line depth once again in 2014. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the 25-year-old played 240 defensive snaps in 12 games in 2013, logging 17 tackles.

While the former second-round pick may not have lived up to expectations so far in Baltimore, Cody’s a familiar face for the Ravens’ defensive line rotation, and should be inexpensive — terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but anything more than the minimum salary would be a surprise.

AFC Notes: Mack, Wimbley, Brown, Steelers

April 7th, 2014 at 9:16am CST by Matt Feminis

It was reported that the Browns wouldn’t hesitate to match an offer sheet for Alex Mack containing $22M guaranteed, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union gives reasons why the Jaguars can afford to overspend for Mack if they so desire.

Here’s a handful of other AFC notes:

  • Jets GM John Idzik, on the job 15 months, has cut ties with three of his predecessor Mike Tannenbaum’s nine first-round picks (Darrelle Revis, Dustin Keller and Mark Sanchez). Cornerback Kyle Wilson could be next out the door, writes ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini, who cites Wilson’s unimpactful play as the reason he’s on the hot seat. In 2,195 defensive snaps over four seasons, Wilson has managed just six impact plays. Says Cimini: “Clearly, the organization has added competition, so Wilson will have to raise his game if he wants to play out his contract in New York.” Wilson has one year remaining on his rookie deal.
  • The Steelers “have been able to reshape their roster despite the constraints of the salary cap,” writes ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, who details how the team took advantage of a rule in the CBA that allows teams to hand out veteran minimum contracts and get a cap discount. In that that type of contract, the max signing bonus allowed is $65k, and the Steelers have done three such deals this offseason.
  • The Steelers’ website posted a free agent update, listing key additions and subtractions for all four teams in the AFC North.
  • The Titans and Kamerion Wimbley are still trying to work out a restructured contract, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean (via Twitter).
  • Free agent running back Andre Brown, previously of the Giants, will visit the Texans today, reports Pro Football Talk.

Panthers To Host Avant, DeCoud

April 6th, 2014 at 11:09pm CST by David Kipke

The Panthers are scheduled to host wide receiver Jason Avant and free safety Thomas DeCoud in Charlotte tomorrow, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

The team’s receivers have been subjected to the most significant upheaval of any position group in the NFL over the past few weeks with the departures of Steve Smith (to the Ravens), Brandon LaFell (to the Patriots), Ted Ginn Jr. (to the Cardinals), and Domenik Hixon (to the Bears). Although last week’s additions of Jerricho Cotchery and Tiquan Underwood will provide depth for the new-look Panthers’ receiving corps, Avant would be likely be a much more highly utilized target should he choose to sign with Carolina. Although he was only marginally effective in 2013, Avant, who played his first eight seasons for the Eagles, enjoyed the best three seasons of his career from 2010-2012, averaging over 50 receptions per year.

DeCoud’s visit raises significant questions regarding the status of former starting free safety Charles Godfrey. Godfrey, whose $7.1MM 2014 cap figure makes him the fifth-highest paid player on the Panthers’ roster, was thought to be a candidate for a contract restructure after missing the final 14 games of the last season with a torn achilles. While DeCoud started for the Falcons for the last five years and is a former Pro Bowler, he had by far the worst season of his career in 2013- registering just 44 tackles and failing to intercept a pass for the first time since becoming a starter.

Burleson, Browns Agree On One-Year Deal

April 6th, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by David Kipke

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Via Twitter), Nate Burleson and the Browns have reached an agreement on a one-year deal. There are no details yet regarding the value of the contract. Burleson had also shown interest in the Dolphins and visited Miami a few days ago.

The Browns are widely considered to be in the market to add a wide receiver to spell their breakout First Team All-Pro, Josh Gordon. Many thought the team, which had an incredibly eventful offseason both in the front office with the addition of GM Ray Farmer and on the field with several key players, would perhaps address this concern with Clemson standout wide receiver Sammy Watkins with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 Draft. The signing of Burleson could show that Farmer might look instead to either a quarterback, one of Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, or Derek Carr, or Auburn tackle Greg Robinson with their first round selection.

Although Burleson has only played in 17 total games over the past two seasons, the Nevada product has proven to be a reliable target over his 12-year career, particularly as a second option. In fact, Burleson’s most successful campaign was in 2004 when he caught 68 passes for 1006 yards while playing alongside Randy Moss. This is intriguing because Gordon was drawing strong comparisons to Moss before he even entered the NFL, evidenced by NFL an executive telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Gordon possessed “Randy Moss-like talents.” Burleson further added to his résumé as a second fiddle wide receiver in Detroit over the past four years, playing with perennial All-Pro Calvin Johnson during his emergence as a generational receiving talent. While Burleson’s recent injury troubles mean he likely will not be lined up opposite of Gordon as a true number two option on most plays, he can likely help take defensive pressure off of the young star.

As Brian Hoyer and Alex Tanney are currently the Browns’ only rostered quarterbacks, it largely remains to be seen who will be throwing passes to Gordon and Burleson in 2014. However, this addition certainly seems to dampen the probability of the Browns selecting Watkins with the fourth overall pick.  

 

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Jackson, McCoy

April 6th, 2014 at 7:01pm CST by David Kipke

Last week, we learned that the Giants have shown interest in recent free agent Chris Johnson. You voted that the Giants are the third-most likely destination for the former Titan Pro Bowler. Let’s look at a few other stories from around the NFC East this weekend:

  • Rich Tandler of Real Redskins thinks that there is no reason to worry about the Redskins‘ remaining cap space being just $2.5MM. Tandler explains that the NFL’s Summer roster contract policies will allow the Redskins to sign 19 more players to meet the 90-man roster limit while counting only $500K total against their cap.
  • LeSean McCoy ‘loves’ the Darren Sproles signing, according to Jason Butt of the National Football Post. McCoy thinks that the Eagles will use Sproles more that his previous backup, Bryce Brown, was used in McCoy’s franchise record-breaking 2013 rushing campaign. The University of Pittsburgh product thinks that a more balanced workload in 2014 will help him conserve more energy for later in games.
  • John Clayton of ESPN writes that the flurry of recent signings in the NFC East could signify that the division is ready to reclaim its spotlight as the NFL’s prime time division. The Redskins and Giants have both spent almost $80MM, and Clayton believes that DeSean Jackson will be the most impactful NFC East signing from this past offseason.

PFR Originals: 3/31/14 – 4/6/14

April 6th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s the original content produced by the PFR during the past week:

Draft Visits: Latimer, Tripp, Croyle, Gilbert

April 6th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A few updates on draft visits (all links are courtesy of NFL.com’s Gil Brandt on Twitter):

  • Indiana receiver Cody Latimer will visit seven teams over the next three weeks: the Bills, Eagles, Lions, Raiders, Seahawks, Chargers, and Panthers.
  • Additionally, Lattimer will have a private dinner with Panthers receivers coach Ricky Proehl and director of college scouting Don Gregory on April 8, and undergo a class-room exercise on April 9.
  • Two Montana linebackers have scheduled visits — Jordan Tripp will meet with the Eagles on Monday and the Falcons later in the week, and Brock Croyle will visit with the Chargers and the Seahawks.
  • Southern Methodist University quarterback Garrett Gilbert will work out for the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Panthers.

Bears Sign Brian De La Puente

April 6th, 2014 at 4:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have signed center Brian De La Puente, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Biggs adds that the contract is a one-year deal for the minimum salary benefit, with a $65K signing bonus and $100K in base salary guaranteed. The team has officially announced the transaction (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old De La Puente is a veteran of six NFL seasons, and spent the last four years as a member of the Saints, becoming a starter during the 2011 season. He will reunite with former Saints offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who is now the offensive coordinator in Chicago.

De La Puente graded out well in 2013 per Pro Football Focus, earning a +4.0 grade, which ranked him 16th among centers; he especially excelled in pass-blocking. However, despite taking a visit with the Redskins and mulling a potential return to the Saints, he appears to be settling for a backup job, as the Bears already have Roberto Garza entrenched at the center position.

De La Puente adds quality depth to a Bears offensive line that mostly succeeded last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the unit 18th (up from 30th last season), while Football Outsiders graded the Bears O-line as excellent in pass protection.

Week In Review: 3/31/14 – 4/6/14

April 6th, 2014 at 3:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headline from the past week at PFR:

Key Signings:

Trades:

Extensions:

  • Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll – three years (link)
  • Broncos head coach John Fox – three years (link)

Contract Tenders:

  • Broncos cornerback Chris Harris signed his restricted free agent tender.
  • Browns center Alex Mack, who was extended a transition tag tender, met with the Jaguars, who are reportedly mulling signing the veteran to an offer sheet.
  • Saints restricted free agent safety Rafael Bush signed an offer sheet with the Falcons.

Released:

Retired:

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