2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Gunther Cunningham Joins PFF

March 31st, 2017 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Gunther Cunningham is leaving the Lions, but not for another coaching gig. The former defensive coordinator is joining Pro Football Focus as their new Director of Football Oversight, according to a team press release.

“We are thrilled to add to our PFF family one of the true legends of defensive football,” Pro Football Focus Owner and NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth said in a statement. “Gunther Cunningham is such a unique coach and person. He has always connected with his players in such a deep personal way, and his aggressive style of defense has always made him a player and fan favorite. The rare aspect of Gunther’s career is how this old school coach has embraced today’s data analytics. It is the blending of that traditional football acumen with modern technical expertise that makes Gunther such a perfect fit for PFF.”

Cunningham has 48 years of coaching experience under his belt between the NFL and college. That resume includes two seasons as the Chiefs’ head coach and 15 as a defensive coordinator. He has spent the past eight seasons with the Lions with different titles, including assistant head coach/defensive coordinator and senior coaching advisor.

Dolphins Release Dion Jordan

March 31st, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dion Jordan saga, finally, is over in Miami. The Dolphins are releasing the former No. 3 overall pick, according to Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post. The move has been expected for some time. The Dolphins have since officially announced the transaction, adding that Jordan has been bounced with a failed physical designation.

Jordan, 27, has missed the past two seasons due to suspension and injury. Despite the lofty expectations for him when entering the league, he has started only one game in his career. At various times, Jordan’s commitment to football, sobriety, conditioning, and health have all hampered his development. He may try to reboot things in 2017, but it won’t be in Miami.

“Obviously from where he was selected to today it’s not a move that’s worked out,” Dolphins executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum said earlier this week.

Jordan has not played in a game since December 28, 2014 and has just three career sacks. Waiving Jordan saves the Dolphins $3.225MM. The Dolphins are now left with four defensive ends on the depth chart: Andre Branch, Cameron Wake, William Hayes, and Terrence Fede.

Bears Release DL Ego Ferguson

March 31st, 2017 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have released defensive lineman Ego Ferguson, according to a team announcement. He’ll now go through the waiver process. If every team passes on him, he’ll be a free agent early next week.

Ferguson, a second-round pick of the old regime, played in only four games in 2015 due to injuries and a suspension. Then, he missed the entire 2016 season with a shoulder injury. In total, he appeared in only 20 games since being drafted in 2014. In that time, the 25-year-old (26 in September) has compiled 26 tackles, two sacks, and three passes defended.

The Bears shopped Ferguson in September 2016, but they were unable to find any takers. With some big name defensive linemen still on the board and the draft still on the horizon, it seems unlikely that he’ll get claimed.

Poll: Should An NFL Team Sign Greg Hardy?

March 31st, 2017 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Greg Hardy‘s stock is lower than we ever could have expected. An Indoor Football League team flirted with the idea of signing the defensive end, but opted against it after he did not pass a fan referendum. No one wants to go near the former Pro Bowler because of his unsettling history with domestic violence and perceived lack of accountability for said violence. Even when the Cowboys gave him a second chance in 2015, he was moody, lazy, and late to practice. It’s easy to understand why the NFL wants nothing to do with him and one can even understand the IFL’s hesitation in getting involved with him.

Still, when he’s on the field, Hardy is a game-changing talent. Between 2011 and 2013, the former sixth-round pick averaged 56 tackles and 10 sacks per season season. Even in a down year with Dallas in 2015, he ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. At his worst, Hardy is a starting caliber defensive end and he won’t turn 29 until this summer.

Today, we borrow a page from the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles’ book and ask this of PFR readers: Would you want your favorite team to sign Hardy? Vote below and, if you want, explain your choice in the comments.

Jets Have Strong Interest In Mahomes

March 31st, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are showing strong interest in Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Mahomes also met with the 49ers on Thursday night and spent a good amount of time with the Giants, Pauline adds. Giants coach Ben McAdoo, 49ers GM John Lynch, and Seahawks GM John Schneider were all at Texas Tech’s pro day to watch Mahomes throw (Twitter link via Andrew Groover of the NFL Network). It should be noted that McAdoo doesn’t usually attend pro days, so this could be a sign that the Giants’ interest in Mahomes is also at an advanced level.

The stock of Mahomes has been on the rise for the last couple of months. In February, the NFL’s College Advisory Committee gave the quarterback a second-round grade. Meanwhile, with an overall underwhelming crop of quarterback’s in this year’s class, it’s not hard to see Mahomes going somewhere in his first round. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com previously estimated that his floor could be No. 25 overall when the Texans are scheduled to be on the clock. His ceiling, according to JLC, could be as high as top three overall.

The Jets signed Josh McCown this offseason and while he could be the team’s starter in 2017, they haven’t committed to anything of that nature just yet. Gang Green also has Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg on the roster, but it’s not likely that any of those QBs would preclude the Jets from drafting a high-end guy if they felt strongly about him.

The Jets own the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft and it seems possible that Mahomes might be a consideration there. It’s also possible that the Niners could beat them to the punch or another intensely-interested club could trade up to nab him. With roughly one month to go before the draft, it’s clear that Mahomes is a player to watch, but his possibly range is still murky.

Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins On Trade Rumors

March 31st, 2017 at 11:09am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this month, the Eagles reportedly offered up Malcolm Jenkins and draft picks to the Saints for Brandin Cooks. Ultimately, Cooks went to the Patriots and top exec Howie Roseman came out swinging against talk that the safety was made available. Now, comments from Jenkins himself seem to confirm that he was in fact being discussed with New Orleans.

“His message was that they want me to be an Eagle,” Jenkins said as he recounted a recent conversation with Roseman (via CSNPhilly.com’s Dave Zangaro). “They love what I’m doing on the field, they love what I’m doing in the community and they want me to be a big part of what they do from a long-term standpoint. But at the same time, if somebody is going to offer something ridiculously high for me that he thinks is in the best interest of the team then he would definitely consider, which he would with anybody. And I understand that. So that doesn’t give me any anxiety or any worry.”

Jenkins added that he thinks he would have been involved in the deal, for the right price. Although he’s still playing at a high level, Jenkins will turn 30 in December and he probably shouldn’t be considered an untouchable. It seems like Roseman denied the trade talk in order to avoid things getting awkward for the veteran. Fortunately for him, Jenkins seems to be taking it all in stride.

Jenkins is signed through 2020. He is scheduled to carry cap hits of $7.5MM, $10MM, $9.75MM, and $9.25MM in each of the next four seasons.

Latest On Colin Kaepernick

March 31st, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

Colin Kaepernick is still without an NFL job and there is no sign of that changing in the immediate future. Apparently, teams are concerned about more than just his polarizing political views. Some teams are unsure about his commitment to football and are concerned about his vegan diet, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.

As Albert Breer of The MMQB alluded to earlier this month, Kaepernick was under his usual playing weight last season due to his meatless diet. The quarterback weighed in around 218 pounds, down from his usual 235-240 range. As a result, Niners coaches felt they were limited in how they could use him. With less weight on his body, they felt that he could not absorb the big hits that come from designed QB runs. For what it’s worth, Maiocco (Twitter link) hears that Kaep is back to his pre-injury weight, which might mean that he’s at about 225 pounds.

One report from earlier this week indicated that Kaepernick is pushing for a chance to start and a salary of $9MM or more. Soon after, there was conflicting word on that front. Whatever the case may be, it’s hard to see Kaepernick getting starter consideration or money. So far this offseason, we have yet to hear of any NFL team with interest.

Dolphins Sign S T.J. McDonald

March 31st, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Zachary Links

Safety T.J. McDonald has found a new home. Luckily for him, his new destination will also feature palm trees. The Dolphins have agreed to terms with McDonald, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the minimum salary, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. The team has confirmed the move via press release.

As we learned this week, McDonald will have to serve an eight-game suspension stemming from last year’s DUI arrest. It’s not an ideal situation, but Miami probably feels that the former Rams safety can be an impact player in the second half of the season. There’s something to be said for a player having fresh legs late in the season and the deal is an undeniable bargain. Heading into free agency, I had McDonald ranked as a top 50 player based on projected earnings. Now, the Dolphins have added the four-year starter for next to nothing.

The Fins really view the pact as a “one-day contract,” because if he steps out of line one day, he’s gone (Twitter link via Salguero). Salguero adds that McDonald picked the Dolphins because they provided him with an opportunity to start fresh away from the west coast (Twitter link).

The Dolphins project to start Reshad Jones at strong safety with free agent pickup Nate Allen at free safety. In November, McDonald will work try to work his way into the rotation.

McDonald was ranked as our No. 1 safety remaining in free agency. Last year, McDonald had 62 total tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and six passes defensed. He graded out as as Pro Football Focus’ No. 58 safety.

Robert Meachem Attempting NFL Comeback

March 31st, 2017 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

Remember Robert Meachem? The wide receiver has been out of football since 2014, but he is hoping to make a return to the NFL in 2017. Today, he headlines a small group of former Tennessee graduates at the program’s Pro Day, competing alongside this year’s outgoing class. Of course, this is somewhat unprecedented as Meachem is entering his age-33 season.

We haven’t heard Meachem’s name since June of last year when he auditioned for the Saints. He spent the bulk of his career in New Orleans and his two stints were broken up by just one season spent with the Chargers. However, the Saints passed on signing him. Since then, Meachem’s personal life has taken some unfortunate turns. He spent some time in jail this year after he failed to make child support and alimony payments. An NFL deal would certainly help his financial situation, but it’s not clear if he has much left to offer at this point.

In 2014, his last NFL season, he had just seven catches for 114 yards in eleven games. His last truly productive season came all the way back in 2011 when he had 40 catches for 620 yards and six scores.

Wide receivers Pig Howard and Jonathan Johnson and defensive back LaDarrell McNeil will also be on the field. Defensive tackle Danny O’Brien, who was kicked off the team last October, will also show his stuff.

Chiefs Host Gavin Escobar On Visit

March 31st, 2017 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys free agent tight end Gavin Escobar is visiting the Chiefs today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We have Escobar ranked as the fourth-best TE still available in free agency.

The Cowboys took Escobar in the second round of the 2013 draft with the hope that he would become a major receiving threat. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition. The San Diego State product had just 30 catches over four years with the Cowboys and they didn’t make much of an attempt to re-sign him this offseason. His best year came in 2014 when he had four touchdowns, but that came off of just nine catches.

The Chiefs currently have four tight ends under contract: Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris, James O’Shaughnessy, and Ross Travis. Whether he signs with KC or another club, he’ll likely have to settle for a non-guaranteed deal.