HEADLINES

Month: March 2017

FA Notes: Fins, Seahawks, Redskins, Jags

March 23rd, 2017 at 4:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although the Dolphins and free agent linebacker Zach Brown are fairly far apart in negotiations, the club still believes it has a chance to land him, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). In order for an agreement to happen, though, Brown will have to reduce his asking price, which is in the range of $6MM per annum on a multiyear deal.

More from the open market:

  • The Seahawks hosted linebacker Terence Garvin on a visit Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Garvin, 27, spent last year with Washington and was with the Steelers in the previous three seasons. Garvin has 59 career appearances on his resume but just one start.
  • Along with Garvin, the Seahawks met with yet another linebacker, Gerald Hodges, on Wednesday. The two sides “had a good visit,” though there’s no deal yet, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Hodges is coming off a quietly impressive season that saw him tally 80 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions in 15 games (12 starts) with San Francisco. He also graded 21st among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers.
  • The Redskins and running back Tim Hightower had a meeting, but they aren’t moving toward an agreement, reports John Keim of ESPN.com. It doesn’t appear that will change anytime soon, with Keim noting that Washington could circle back to Hightower as an insurance option down the road.
  • The Jaguars worked out free agent kicker Zach Hocker today, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Incumbent Jacksonville kicker Jason Myers‘ field goal conversion rate dipped below 80% last season, and he also missed three extra points, so the Jags may be open to adding competition. Hocker. 25, last appeared in the NFL in 2015 as a member of the Saints and Rams. Jacksonville also auditioned punter Tom Hornsey, adds Wilson.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Giants’ Shane Vereen Takes Pay Cut

March 23rd, 2017 at 4:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Giants running back Shane Vereen has agreed to restructure his contract, reports Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Previously scheduled to earn a $3.15MM base salary next season, Vereen will now collect $2.15MM, though he could get back the lost $1MM (and make another $250K) in incentives. Regardless, the move will save the Giants $843,750 in cap space.

Shane Vereen (Vertical)

The 2017 campaign will be the third with the Giants for Vereen, a pass-catching back who signed with Big Blue before the 2015 season and hauled in 59 receptions that year. Vereen, to whom New York paid a $500K roster bonus earlier this month, missed the majority of last season after tearing a triceps muscle on two separate occasions. In five games, he put up 252 total yards (158 rushing, 94 receiving) and a touchdown. As of now, the 28-year-old is the most established member of a largely unproven backfield which also includes Paul Perkins.

Vereen is the second Giant to restructure his contract this week, joining wide receiver/kick returner Dwayne Harris.The extra spending space could help Big Blue re-sign defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, posits Raanan. Hankins, who surprisingly hasn’t encountered a robust market, ranks as PFR’s best unsigned interior D-lineman.

Saints Re-Sign DL Darryl Tapp

March 23rd, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints announced that they have re-signed defensive lineman Darryl Tapp. Terms of the deal are not yet known. "<strongDarryl

Heading into today, we had Tapp ranked as the ninth-best edge defender left in free agency, placing him ahead of guys like Devin Taylor, Eugene Sims, Howard Jones, Wallace Gilberry, Sam Acho. Notables like Dwight Freeney, Elvis Dumervil, Chris Long, Mario Williams, Connor Barwin, Paul Kruger, Trent Cole, Erik Walden, and Jason Jones remain on the board.

Tapp, 33 in September, appeared in all 16 games for the Saints and now has three consecutive seasons of perfect regular season attendance. He had just 17 tackles and half a sack last season, but the advanced metrics were fond of his work. He graded out as the 43rd best edge defender in the league last year out of 109 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. The 78.0 overall score was his best showing since 2012.

With the re-signing of Tapp, the Saints now have five defensive ends on their roster (Cameron Jordan, Paul Kruger, Obum Gwacham and D.J. Pettway are the others). The only member of the group with multiple sacks last year was Jordan, who finished with a team-leading 7.5 on a club that had the sixth fewest in the NFL. Thus, it stands to reason that the Saints will continue looking for edge rushers, especially in the draft.

Packers To Sign DT Ricky Jean-Francois

March 23rd, 2017 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have signed defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $3MM deal. Ricky Jean-Francois (Vertical)

Jean-Francois was released by the Redskins earlier this month, giving him the opportunity to go elsewhere. He also had visits with the Seahawks and Bears, but he ultimately landed in Green Bay. Now, he’ll help offset the Packers’ loss of Datone Jones after he left for the Vikings. He’ll also come in handy for the first month of the season while Letroy Guion serves his suspension.

Jean-Francois ranks as PFR’s No. 5 free agent interior defender still on the board. Since being released by Washington, Jean-Francois has visited the Seahawks and Bears.

Jean-Francois, 30, played in 32 games (eight starts) with Washington over the past two seasons. Last year, he saw action on roughly 40% of the club’s defensive snaps, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in that span. Heading into Thursday, we had RJ-F ranked as the No. 5 free agent interior defender still on the board.

Bengals Re-Sign RB Cedric Peerman

March 23rd, 2017 at 2:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals are re-signing running back Cedric Peerman, Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com tweets. The Bengals have confirmed the news and say it’s a one year deal. Cedric Peerman (Vertical)

Peerman, 31 in October, fractured his arm during preseason last year. He missed the first three months of the 2016 campaign before being activated from IR. In his six games, Peerman was primarily used on special teams and had only six carries. This year, with Rex Burkhead out of the equation, it’s possible that he could see some more snaps on offense. Peerman earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 for his special teams work.

The Bengals now have four running backs under contract: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Tra Carson, and Peerman.

Jets Sign WR Quinton Patton

March 23rd, 2017 at 1:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have signed wide receiver Quinton Patton, according to a team announcement. Up until this point, Patton spent his entire NFL career with the 49ers. Quinton Patton (vertical)

The Jets now have seven wide receivers under contract. In addition to Patton, the Jets have Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, Charone Peake, Jalin Marshall, and Devin Smith under contract. It should be noted that Decker has been mentioned as a potential cap casualty this offseason and Marshall will be suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season.

In 2016, Patton caught 37 passes for 408 yards. That was no small feat given the Niners’ struggles on offense last season. He had similar numbers (30 grabs, 394 yards, one touchdown) in 2015.

We had Patton ranked as one of the 15 best free agent wide receivers remaining on the open market.

Darrelle Revis To Land With Patriots?

March 23rd, 2017 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Could Darrelle Revis circle back to the Patriots? It’s looking “increasingly likely,” according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who has spoken with numerous league sources, including some close to the defensive back. Darrelle Revis

Many, including myself, feel that Revis has lost a step and his effort was lacking in 2016. However, not all talent evaluators agree. One personnel man spoke highly of Revis when speaking to La Canfora.

“We did our work on him. He can still play. He can cover,” the anonymous exec said. “He doesn’t have that long speed anymore; he’s not going to cover a No. 1 receiver deep. But he can cover in tight spaces and he has great instincts. The film is not as bad as some would have you believe. He’s a perfect fit in that quarters scheme Belichick runs, and they have the kind of safeties who can help him out, too. We’re convinced he’s going back to New England. It just makes too much sense.”

The Patriots have already allowed Logan Ryan to walk in free agency and Malcolm Butler could be traded to the Saints in the very near future. Even after signing former Bills standout Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots will need some help in the secondary. Revis might not be able to hold down a starting outside position, but he could theoretically be used in the slot, if he’s willing to make that adjustment. Word is that we won’t be seeing him at safety for New England, so slot could be his only real option if he wants to join the defending champs.

We have Revis ranked as the second-best corner remaining on the free agent market.

Chargers To Re-Sign RB Branden Oliver

March 23rd, 2017 at 1:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have agreed to re-sign running back Branden Oliver to a one-year deal, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Exact terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s quite possible that he has no guaranteed cash, so his roster spot is not a certainty. Branden Oliver (Featured)

Oliver was non-tendered by the Bolts earlier this month, allowing him to explore free agency unencumbered. We did not hear any rumblings of free agent visits or outside interest, so it’s possible that Oliver didn’t find much of a market for his services. He’ll now return to the Bolts, presumably at a lower price than the one-year, $1.797MM original round tender.

Oliver became a focal part of the Chargers’ rushing game in 2014 amidst injuries in the backfield. In 2015, an injury of his own landed him on IR midway through the season. Then, last summer, he suffered an Achilles tear in August and never returned to action. Oliver has not seen the field since November 1, 2015.

The Chargers added running back Kenjon Barner to the fold this week and they now have five RBs in total.

Front Office Rumors: Bills, 49ers, Colts

March 23rd, 2017 at 12:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com brought us news on the Redskins’ GM search. Further down in his column, he presented more front office news from around the NFL. Here’s a look at the highlights:

  • New Bills coach Sean McDermott could convince ownership to import front office guys with whom he has a relationship. JLC floats the name of Panthers director of player personnel Don Gregory and notes that there are “already rumblings that the marriage of McDermott and Bills GM Doug Whaley” will not last.
  • The 49ers are also looking to add to the front office. This makes sense given that new GM John Lynch is a front office neophyte.
  • New Colts GM Chris Ballard may want to shake up the scouting core, but league sources tell JLC that he may have to wait a year since the evaluators that are already there have more time to go on their contracts. Still, Ballard badly wants to poach Seahawks executive Ed Dodds. If Indy can land him, he’ll probably get a promotion over his current title. Jets director of college scouting Rex Hogan is also a Ballard target, but JLC hears that he still has a good amount of time left on his contract and might be harder to pry away.
  • Bears exec Morocco Brown, who has history with Ballard, could be a possible candidate for the Colts and 49ers. JLC notes that Brown had a solid relationship with new SF coach Kyle Shanahan in D.C.

UCLA CB Fabian Moreau Undergoes Surgery

March 23rd, 2017 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

UCLA cornerback Fabian Moreau, a possible first-round pick, had successful surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter links). His recovery timetable will be four-to-six months, but one source tells Garafolo that there is some hope he can be ready in time for training camp. Fabian Moreau (vertical)

Word of the surgery, of course, will hurt Moreau’s stock. However, if he can really recover within that timetable, he might not fall far. A team willing to be patient might be willing to take the UCLA product somewhere in the second round. Moreau is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in this year’s class, though the overall depth at the position could lead teams in another direction near the top of the draft.

The most recent rankings from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah (before word of the surgery broke) had Moreau as the No. 42 prospect overall and the eighth-best cornerback. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay did not have him going in the first round of their latest mock drafts.

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