Glover Quin, Lions Restructure Contract
After restructuring his contract to provide some flexibility for the Lions last September, safety Glover Quin has tweaked his deal again, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com. The move will create some additional breathing room for Detroit, allowing the team to work toward signing the rest of its rookie class.
As Yates details, it’s a simple restructure for Quin, which means he’s simply converting a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus. By reducing his base salary for 2015 from $4MM to the minimum ($745K), and turning that $3.255MM into a signing bonus, Quin will have only a third of that bonus count toward ’15, with the rest being prorated for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
In total, the restructure will create $2.17MM in immediate cap savings for the Lions, while increasing Quin’s cap numbers in 2016 and 2017 by an extra $1.085MM per year. The team may eventually have to adjust the 29-year-old’s contract again, since those ’16 and ’17 cap hits now exceed $7.5MM, but for now, it’s a move that benefits a Lions club that had the least amount of cap room in the NFL heading into today, according to Over the Cap‘s data.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Pats, Dolphins
Here’s a quick look at the Patriots and Dolphins…
Minor Moves: Tuesday Night
We rounded up some minor transactions earlier today, and we have a new group here for Tuesday night..
- The Patriots have signed linebacker Dekoda Watson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Watson was let go by the Cowboys just days ago. Watson has spent time with the Bucs, Jaguars, and Cowboys over the course of his career and played in 70 games.
- The Broncos claimed receiver/return man Solomon Patton off waivers from the Bucs, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. The Broncos also claimed Jags tight end Marcel Jensen earlier today.
- The Lions released UDFA running back Rasheed Williams, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets.
- The Seahawks signed linebacker Tyrell Adams and fullback Brandon Cottom, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). To make room, Seattle waived lineman Nate Isles and terminated the contract of lineman C.J. Davis. Adams and Cottom were each tryout players at Seahawks’ rookie mini-camp over the weekend.
- Safety Thomas Gordon, waived by the Giants yesterday, cleared waivers and is now on their reserve/injured list, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
- Wide receiver Austin Hill, who did not pass a physical to sign with Seahawks, was signed today by the Raiders, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). To make room, the Raiders waived fellow wide receiver Milton Williams, a Delaware State product, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
AFC South Notes: Fowler, Titans, Mariota
After Dante Fowler’s injury, the Jaguars could have structured their contract proposal differently, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. A league source tells the Jags beat writer that the team could have offered no signing bonus, made his 2015 base salary ($4.2MM) fully guaranteed, and converted the remaining $19.2MM to guaranteed cash if he was on the roster to start training camp in 2016. Those measures would have protected Jacksonville if they were worried about his rehab. However, it also would have been terrible business, and the Jaguars opted not to go that route. Here’s more from the AFC South..
- Dick LeBeau, the recently hired associate head coach in charge of defense for the Titans, told reporters, including Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (on Twitter), that the team has great quickness on the defensive line and added that he likes the mix of youth and veterans they now have in the secondary.
- LeBeau added that Titans offseason addition Perrish Cox and 2013 third-round pick Blidi Wreh-Wilson will get plenty of snaps this year, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
- Some of the rookies in the Titans‘ 2015 draft class will be putting the veterans on the spot with their arrival, Wyatt writes. Of course, that list starts with No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, who figures to displace incumbent Zach Mettenberger as the starter. Meanwhile, second round choice Dorial Green-Beckham’s presence could alter Justin Hunter‘s future with the team, though I would argue that both players appear to be projects at this stage.
Harbaugh, Newsome On Ravens’ Offseason
In a conference call with personal seat license ticket holders, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that GM Ozzie Newsome is still looking to add players to the secondary, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets. When asked if Kyle Arrington could be a player of interest, however, Newsome kept things vague. Here’s more from this afternoon’s conference call..
- Harbaugh said that tight end Dennis Pitta has a chance to play this season, though it’ll depend on how his hip is holding up, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
- Newsome said Marshal Yanda and Justin Tucker are still targets for extensions, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets. “If we don’t get it done, we’ll move on to the next.”
- Newsome was complimentary of undrafted safety Nick Perry, saying, “He’ll be able to come in and compete with the guys that we have,” Wilson tweets. Meanwhile, Harbaugh predicted one undrafted rookie and “maybe more” will make the 53-man roster, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Ravens thought about taking cornerback Tray Walker in the third round, Harbaugh said, according to Hensley (on Twitter). The Ravens eventually took him in the fourth round.
North Notes: Johnson, Lions, Suh
New Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is signing the praises of offseason pickup Josh McCown, but it’s a rite of spring at this point for a Cleveland OC to speak highly of his QB, Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Shaw contrasted Kyle Shanahan‘s comments on Johnny Manziel last year with DeFilippo’s comments on McCown this year and the two read pretty similarly. Of course, we know how things turned out with Manziel in 2014. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC North..
- UDFA safety Isaiah Johnson chose to sign with the Lions because of the chance that he could fill the void if James Ihedigbo doesn’t work out his contract dispute, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. “(That) was in there a little bit,” Johnson said of his reasoning for picking Detroit. “Just looking at the opportunity. Everyone knows we’re coming in and trying to fight for theirs, and it’s just the game of football. It’s a business now. So I got to be a business.” Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that Johnson reportedly got a $12K signing bonus from the Lions, the highest sum of any UDFA on the team. Detroit must be high on the youngster, because that’s the same kind of financial commitment they made to LaAdrian Waddle, Cornelius Lucas and Joseph Fauria the last two years and all three of those players remain on the roster.
- After losing defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, and C.J. Mosley this offseason, the folks at Football Outsiders (ESPN Insider sub. req’d) are projecting that the Lions will finish with a 7-9 record for this year. Of course, it also doesn’t help that Detroit has one of the toughest schedules in the league this season.
- The Ravens will likely go with two quarterbacks – Joe Flacco and Matt Schaub – on the 53-man roster, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. After the release of Keith Wenning, Bryn Renner has the edge over undrafted rookie Jerry Lovelocke to get the No. 3 spot and go on the practice squad.
Cowboys Notes: Scandrick, Peterson, Carr
Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick has temporarily ended his boycott and is in Dallas meeting with team brass about his contract situation, Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram tweets. Scandrick is scheduled to earn just $1.5MM in base pay for 2015 and has been pushing for a new deal. Team EVP/COO Stephen Jones indicated late last month that he likely wouldn’t cave on the request, but today’s meeting could lead to a compromise between the two sides. Here’s more out of Dallas..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News why the Cowboys passed on selecting a running back in this year’s draft. While from the outside it may seem like the Cowboys’ inaction is a sign that they’re happy with their stable of running backs, Sturm hears that’s not the case at all from people inside the organization. Sturm goes round-by-round from the first round all the way to the fifth round and explains that their top tailback targets were off the board at every turn.
- Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant told TMZ.com that he would love to play with Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, but he’s also not holding his breath. “The Vikings not lettin’ that happen, ’cause if they did, the league would know what would happen,” Bryant said. “That man is a monster.” Peterson, privately and publicly, has indicated that he would like to play for the Cowboys, but a trade to Dallas doesn’t seem terribly likely at this point for a number of reasons.
- Todd Archer of ESPN.com ran down the Cowboys’ options when it comes to Brandon Carr. Archer writes that although some people view Byron Jones as solid insurance for the Cowboys in dealing with Carr, it doesn’t really diminish how much he’s needed, especially in the wake of Morris Claiborne‘s injury.
Draft Signings: Falcons, Bucs, Bills
The latest draft signings from rounds 3-7..
- The Falcons signed third-round pick Tevin Coleman, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With the running back in the fold, Vic Beasley stands as the last draft pick unsigned in Atlanta.
- The Buccaneers signed fourth-round linebacker Kwon Alexander, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). The Bucs traded up in the fourth round with the Raiders to land the LSU product.
- The Buccaneers also signed Nebraska product Kenny Bell, according to Smith (on Twitter). The wide receiver was taken in the fifth round.
- FSU tight end Nick O’Leary, a sixth-round choice, has signed his rookie contract with the Bills, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Seventh-round wideout Dezmin Lewis has also signed his rookie deal with the team, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
- The Bengals signed safety Derron Smith, a sixth-round pick, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Smith is just the second of nine picks to sign.
- The Cardinals announced (via Twitter) that they have signed a pair of fifth-round picks in linebacker Shaquille Riddick and wide receiver J.J. Nelson.
Saints Sign Stephone Anthony
The Saints announced that they have signed linebacker Stephone Anthony. The No. 31 overall pick was one of the last holdouts for New Orleans in this year’s draft class.
Anthony, 22, was widely projected as a second round pick but found his way into the first round after impressing New Orleans brass throughout the draft process. In 2014, the Clemson star was a consensus first-team All-ACC selection as he recorded a team-high 90 tackles (61 solo), 10.5 stops for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 13 games with 12 starts. Anthony also led the Tigers with 131 tackles in 2013 as a junior.
With Anthony under contract, the Saints have now inked all of their picks with the exception of first-round tackle Andrus Peat.
Dolphins Cleared In Suh Tampering Case
While the world’s attention is fixed on the punishment doled out to the Patriots for their scandal, the Dolphins have been cleared of wrongdoing in their own controversy. The NFL has determined that the Dolphins did not violate tampering rules in their pursuit of Ndamukong Suh, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes.
Suh officially signed his deal with Miami on March 11th, but the agreement was reported to be in place days earlier, which caused many to suspect that the two sides were negotiating before the permitted time. Of course, it’s well known that teams probably negotiate with players before the permissible period, but given Suh’s profile and the mammoth six-year, $114MM contract, the league office was less than pleased with the prospect of Miami breaking the rules. However, the Dolphins have been reviewed and it was found that no rules were broken and no sanctions will be levied against them.
The day Suh signed, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross insisted that his team broke no rules, and he has been proven right.
“I’m confident of that,” Ross said, as Beasley recounts. “I certainly wanted to talk to [Suh] but I knew I couldn’t, and we didn’t.”
Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked the former second overall pick among the NFL’s top four defensive tackles in each of the last three seasons. By PFF’s count, Suh racked up 72 total quarterback pressures in 2013, well ahead of any other DT besides Gerald McCoy, and he generated 57 quarterback pressures in 2014, tops in the league among defensive tackles.