2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Ravens Sign CB Brandon Carr

March 16th, 2017 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Brandon Carr is off the board. The Ravens have signed the former Cowboys cornerback to a four-year deal, according to a team announcement.

However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s really a one-year deal with series of options to make it a four-year, $24MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It will likely turn out to be a two-year, $12MM deal when all is said and done, he adds. Soon, we’ll probably know the full breakdown of the contract.

The Ravens have been heavily connected to Morris Claiborne, but they’ve instead signed Dallas’ other notable free agent cornerback. Carr, 31 in May, has started in every single regular season game for Dallas since joining the club in 2012. In fact, his ironman streak goes back further than that. He also made every single possible start for the Chiefs from 2008-2011.

Carr first came to Dallas on a five-year, $50.1MM pact in 2012. He never lived up to that deal – and had to take a hefty pay cut in 2016 to stay with the Cowboys as a result – but he has still be a serviceable player. In 2016, Carr graded out as the leagues No. 52 cornerback among 114 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. He appeared in 96% of Dallas’ defensive snaps.

Carr was ranked as our No. 2 cornerback left in free agency heading into today. Claiborne, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Darrelle Revis, and Brandon Flowers are among the notables that remain.

The Jets were once linked to Carr, but their level of interest was unclear.

Redskins Host DB Darius Butler On Visit

March 16th, 2017 at 2:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are hosting Colts free agent defensive back Darius Butler on a visit today, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. After Tony Jefferson, Duron Harmon, and Barry Church came off the board early in free agency, Butler stands as PFR’s top ranked unsigned safety.

The beauty of Butler is that he can be plugged into multiple spots in the secondary. Keim writes that Butler would provide additional depth for the Redskins, but he could be holding out for a starting role (and salary to match). Butler has said that he hopes to transition to safety full-time in 2017.

Butler apparently reached a contract impasse with the incumbent Colts, but a return is still on the table. Butler, 31 on Saturday, also met with the Bears last week. His market has been a little slow to develop, but things could get rolling for him in the coming days.

Latest On Free Agent DT Johnathan Hankins

March 16th, 2017 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

We’re into the second wave of free agency and, surprisingly, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins remains on the board. Today’s one-year deal between Dontari Poe and the Falcons probably doesn’t bode well for Hankins’ market, yet that apparently hasn’t brought down his asking price. Hankins is asking for more than $10MM per year, sources around the league tell Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Just one week ago, that wouldn’t have been an outlandish ask on the part of Hankins’ camp. Some projections had the Giants standout fetching upwards of $40MM on a five-year deal with a substantial guarantee. However, things have changed. Poe, despite being nearly two years older, is arguably the better player of the two and he found a very mild market when it came to long-term offers. At this point, Hankins’ best bet might be to settle for a deal that mirrors Poe’s. If he plays well, he could get a monster deal next year (or get franchise tagged) when he’s still just 26.

On the first day of free agency, Brandon Williams re-upped with the Ravens on a $54MM deal, including $27MM in guarantees. He must be feeling pretty good about that deal today. Meanwhile, the Giants must be feeling better about their chances of retaining Hankins.

To date, the Redskins and Dolphins have been the only teams to be linked to Hankins. The Redskins have since souped up their interior line in other ways and the Dolphins’ exact level of interest in Hankins is unclear.

Cowboys Re-Sign Darren McFadden

March 16th, 2017 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have re-signed running back Darren McFadden, according to the team website. The veteran received a one-year deal.

Unfortunately, McFadden lost much of the 2016 season to injury. After rushing for 1,000+ yards in 2015, the veteran appeared in only four regular season games for Dallas. If healthy, the former No. 4 overall pick can be a fine reserve for the Cowboys.

Heading into free agency, I had McFadden ranked as the sixth-best tailback on the market behind Eddie Lacy, Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount, Latavius Murray, and Jamaal Charles.

The Cowboys saw one reserve running back skip town today when Lance Dunbar signed with the Rams. They’ve retained McFadden, however, giving them a strong RB depth chart headlined by Ezekiel Elliott. McFadden and Alfred Morris will duke it out for carries behind the young superstar. The Cowboys will continue to have three running backs who at one point or another were among the league’s elite. On the other hand, Morris might not last in Dallas. There were rumblings earlier this month that Dallas would shop him.

Latest On Saints, Malcolm Butler

March 16th, 2017 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are hosting Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler on his visit today and there is “momentum toward finalizing a deal before he leaves,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Butler, of course, is a restricted free agent who has been assigned the first-round tender.

As I detailed earlier this week, there are a few potential outcomes that sprout come from the Saints’ interest. The seemingly obvious scenario of the Saints actually signing Butler to an offer sheet is probably the most unlikely of the bunch. Butler is an excellent player, but it would be surprising to see the Saints give him top cornerback money and sacrifice the No. 11 overall pick.

If Patriots coach Bill Belichick is willing to play ball (and, perhaps, circumvent the collective bargaining agreement a bit in the process), the two sides could hammer out a trade in which the Patriots sign-and-trade Butler to New Orleans. A potential deal could see the Patriots recoup the No. 32 overall pick they shipped to the Saints in the Brandin Cooks trade. That, more or less, would result in a swap of Butler and Cooks with the Saints also climbing up from No. 118 overall to No. 103.

Of course, the Patriots could also change course and get serious about a multi-year deal to keep Butler tied down and happy. With a duo of Stephon Gilmore and Butler, the Pats would have one of the best cornerback pairs in the NFL.

Falcons To Sign Dontari Poe

March 16th, 2017 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

One of the best free agents left on the board is now spoken for. The Falcons have signed defensive tackle Dontari Poe, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year, $8MM deal but he can make up to $10MM through incentives.

Scott Pioli, the Falcons’ assistant GM, drafted Poe in Kansas City. Now, they’ll be reunited in Atlanta where Poe projects to start next to Grady Jarrett in the Falcons’ 4-3 set. Adrian Clayborn and Brooks Reed are the starters on the bookends.

Poe was making the free agent rounds this week and also had interest from the Dolphins, Jaguars, Colts, and other clubs. Reportedly, some teams were wary of signing Poe to a multi-year pact because of his ongoing back problems. Today’s agreement gives Poe a decent one-year deal but he’ll have to prove himself all over again if he wants to cash in next year. Initially, it seemed like Poe was in play for this type of average annual value on a five-year deal.

Apparently, Poe preferred a one-year deal over taking a long-term contract that would have given him a weaker AAV. The Colts were willing to give him multiple years, but that offer was apparently not to his liking. The Chiefs exited the bidding when they signed former Eagles defensive tackle Bennie Logan to a free agent deal.

49ers Re-Sign DT Chris Jones

March 16th, 2017 at 11:25am CST by Zachary Links

Chris Jones is back in San Francisco. The 49ers and the defensive tackle have agreed on a new one-year deal, agent Mike McCartney tweets.

Jones was claimed off waivers from the Dolphins in November of last year. He went on to start in all six of his games played for SF, racking up 17 tackles in total. After losing the entire 2015 season to a torn calf muscle, Jones proved that he’s back to 100% by appearing in 13 total games for San Francisco and Miami.

The 49ers currently project to start Earl Mitchell next to rising sophomore DeForest Buckner in the middle. Jones will join Quinton Dial and Mike Purcell on the bench, if he makes the final 53-man roster.

Details On Dont’a Hightower’s Deal

March 16th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

Sometimes, when agents are the first to leak details to the press, the initial reported value of free agent deals winds up being a bit inflated. It’s a natural part of the NFL these days but, fortunately, the truth quickly comes to light.

With that in mind, we’ve learned today that Dont’a Hightower‘s four-year, $43.5MM deal is actually worth less than that (via Albert Breer of The MMQB on Twitter). The true base value of the deal is $32MM. In each season, there are $875K worth of per-game roster bonuses, so $3.5MM of the deal will be contingent on Hightower’s health. Then, to satisfy the remaining $8MM gap and reach the full $43.5MM, Hightower would have to nail all of his playtime, Pro Bowl, and First-Team All-Pro incentives each year.

After word of sincere interest from the Jets and Steelers, it sounds like Hightower took a hometown discount to remain with the Patriots. Hightower entered March with hopes of fetching $12MM per year or more. Instead, he has a deal that is really worth somewhere between $8MM-$9MM on average with the potential to exceed $10MM, but only if he is recognized by the league as a megastar.

As a non-rush linebacker, Hightower doesn’t get the sacks and, in turn, doesn’t get the glory. Despite being an elite player for years, Hightower just received his first Pro Bowl nod in 2016 and has never been given First-Team All-Pro honors. Hightower could certainly hit those markers multiple times over the next four seasons, but he’s at a bit of a disadvantage. The $43.5MM value can’t be classified as “not likely to be earned,” but it’s also far from a slam dunk.

Jaguars Sign LB Josh McNary

March 16th, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars signed linebacker Josh McNary, according to a team announcement. McNary, formerly with the Colts, was non-tendered this offseason.

McNary, an Army product, appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Colts last season. He has been largely a special teams guy for Indianapolis over the last four years and that’s likely the role he’ll continue to play in with Jacksonville. His career sack total is 0.5 and he had just 13 total tackles in 2016. Still, he is a tough player who is willing to do the dirty work in the third facet of the game.

In other Jaguars news, the team recently hosted defensive tackle Dontari Poe on a visit. Poe, unsurprisingly, is among PFR’s best interior linemen remaining in free agency.

Bears, Colts To Meet With John Jenkins

March 16th, 2017 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks free agent defensive lineman John Jenkins is visiting the Bears on Thursday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If he doesn’t immediately sign in Chicago, he’ll visit the Colts on Friday.

Jenkins, a true nose tackle, would be a logical fit for both the Bears and Colts as they run a 3-4 scheme. Right now, the Bears have three nose tackles under contract, all of whom were drafted by the team: Eddie Goldman, Will Sutton, and Ego Ferguson.

The Colts picked up defensive tackle Al Woods on Thursday morning, but he is more of a three-technique player than a straight-up nose tackle like Jenkins. In the last week, the Colts have already imported three free agent defensive linemen in Woods, Jabaal Sheard, and Margus Hunt.

We have Jenkins ranked as one of the 15 best free agent interior defenders left in free agency.