2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Rams Hosting RB Lance Dunbar On Visit

March 15th, 2017 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent running back Lance Dunbar is visiting the Rams today, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). This is Dunbar’s first known visit since free agency started six days ago.

Dunbar was buried on the Cowboys’ depth chart last season and had just nine carries on the year with one score. He added 16 catches for 122 yards. Dunbar was never a starter in his five years for the Cowboys, but that was the least amount of burn he ever received in a healthy season. Even when he played in only nine games in 2013, he still managed to get 30 carries (he averaged 5.0 yards per carry in that limited sample).

The Rams could use some depth behind Todd Gurley. Currently, he has Malcolm Brown and Aaron Green – a pair of former undrafted free agents – as his understudies. Dallas’ level of interest in a reunion is unclear, but if Dunbar were to return, he would be stuck behind Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris.

Gosder Cherilus To Retire

March 14th, 2017 at 10:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus is planning to retire, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cherilus is an unrestricted free agent, but he won’t participate in the free agent process, per Fowler.

Cherilus, 32, began his career as a first-round pick of the Lions in 2008. The Boston College alum was a full-time starter that season, as he would be for the next eight campaigns. After his rookie contract expired, Cherilus signed a five-year, $35MM contract with the Colts that made him the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL.

After two years in Indianapolis, Cherilus was released, his tenure with the Colts not nearly as successful as his run with Detroit. Cherilus quickly landed with the Buccaneers, and started 13 games in 2015 before becoming a reserve this past season. In 2016, Cherilus only played on about 20% of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps.

All told, Cherilus appeared in 131 games over his nine-year NFL career. Ultimately, he lived up to his draft billing, as he’s currently the 20th-most valuable member of the 2008 draft by approximate value. PFR wishes Cherilus nothing but the best as he enters retirement.

AFC Rumors: Osweiler, Jets, Dolphins, Misi

March 14th, 2017 at 9:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans had no intention of bringing quarterback Brock Osweiler back in 2017, as Peter King of TheMMQB.com writes. Talks between Houston and Cleveland began at the scouting combine, per King, and the two sides ultimately agreed on a deal that sent Osweiler (and his contract), a 2018 second-round pick, and a 2017 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round pick. While the trade may work out for both clubs, it’s fair to wonder if Houston would have simply released Osweiler if no such proposal was created.

Here’s more from the AFC:

Defensive end Howard Jones is visiting with the Jets on Friday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets. Tampa Bay did not tender him as an exclusive rights free agent, making him an unrestricted free agent earlier this month. Jones had five sacks in five starts in 2015 before suffering a torn ACL in 2016. He is not yet fully healthy, but doctors believe he might be able to get full clearance before training camp, per Laine.
Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi will likely either be released or have his salary reduced, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The 30-year-old Misi is expected to be fully recovered from a serious neck injury time in time for the 2017 season, but he’s due a $4.175MM base salary next year. Given that Misi only played in three games in 2016 and isn’t guaranteed a starting job going forward, that’s an untenable figure.
Meanwhile, free agent guard Jermon Bushrod wants to re-sign with the Dolphins, but the club only views him as a fallback option, reports Salguero. Miami is reportedly “re-assessing the market” at the moment, and doesn’t feel the need to make hurried signings, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details. Still, the Dolphins need to bring in at least one more guard after agreeing to terms with Ted Larsen, and the team is in fact discussing Bushrod, per Jackson. Bushrod, 32, graded out as a bottom-four guard in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jets Have Largest Offer To Dont’a Hightower

March 14th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are likely offering the largest contract to free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, who says Hightower will sign with New York if he’s “looking for the biggest financial score.” Gang Green is willing to hand Hightower a “blockbuster contract,” per Cimini, while Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets the Jets have “far and away the most money on the table.”

Still, Hightower “doesn’t seem inclined” to accept the Jets’ offer, per La Canfora (Twitter link), which would jibe with reports indicating rival clubs expect Hightower to re-sign with the Patriots. If Hightower does sign with New York, the Jets would likely release long-time middle linebacker David Harris, paving the way for Hightower and 2016 first-round pick Darron Lee to play together in the club’s 3-4 scheme.

The Steelers are also involved in the Hightower sweepstakes, but Pittsburgh reportedly told Hightower its offer to him would disappear if he leaves town without signing on a dotted line. Hightower’s meeting with the Steelers has concluded, but it’s not readily clear if he’s left Pittsburgh, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) Hightower is still in talks with the Steelers, Jets, and Patriots.

The Titans, meanwhile, are out on Hightower, as general manager Jon Robinson says his club never even met with Hightower.

Bengals Hosted LB Keenan Robinson

March 14th, 2017 at 8:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals met with free agent linebacker Keenan Robinson on Monday, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Cincinnati is on the hunt for linebacker depth after seeing veteran Karlos Dansby leave for Arizona. Middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, additionally, is a candidate to be released (a move that would save the Bengals roughly $3.6MM), so the club is now looking for an experienced player who can fill in behind Vontaze Burfict, Vincent Rey, and Nick Vigil, preferably at a low cost. Robinson, for what it’s worth, earned just north of $2.5MM on a one-year deal with the Giants last year.

Robinson, 27, spent last season with New York after playing for the division rival Redskins from 2012-15. While he only started six games for Big Blue, Robinson appeared in all 16 contests and saw action on more than 70% of the Giants’ defensive snaps. In that time, Robinson posted 79 tackles and seven passes defensed, but graded out as a bottom-10 NFL linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus. Robinson does offer special teams value, however, as he chipped in on 129 ST snaps in 2016.

NFC Notes: Bears, Kaepernick, Cardinals

March 14th, 2017 at 8:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Rival clubs are “baffled” by some of the Bears‘ free agent signings, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Specifically, Chicago’s decisions to bring in Mike Glennon ($15MM per year), Prince Amukamara ($7.5MM), and Markus Wheaton (two years, $11MM) “raised some eyebrows,” per La Canfora. While the Bears did unsuccessfully target other free agents such as A.J. Bouye, the club made other surprisingly large commitments to cornerback Marcus Cooper and tight end Dion Sims.

Here’s more from the NFC:

While a strategy is in place to market quarterback Colin Kaepernick to the “right” team, NFL clubs are pessimistic Kaepernick will be able to land a “decent” deal, per La Canfora. Kaepernick, 29, opted out of the final year of his 49ers contract, and San Francisco likely would have released him had he not made that decision. Having said that he’ll stand for the national anthem in 2017, Kaepernick ranked as PFR’s No. 6 free agent quarterback heading into the free agent period.
After agreeing to a new deal with the Cardinals, Andre Ellington may be playing more wide receiver than running back in 2017, per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Ellington will spend time at both positions, according to Somers, but Arizona wants to see what the 28-year-old can do at wideout. While he posted 85 receptions during his first two years in the league, Ellington has only managed 27 catches from 2015-16.
Frostee Rucker may follow Ellington in re-signing with the Cardinals, as Somers tweets he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Rucker is the next player to land a new contract with Arizona. Rucker, 33, appeared in 13 games (one start) with the Cards in 2016, posting 13 tackles and grading as the league’s No. 96 interior player among 127 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Rucker earned nearly $1.4MM last year under the terms of an extension he agreed to in 2015.

Travaris Cadet Has Three Offers In Hand

March 14th, 2017 at 8:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent running back Travaris Cadet is deciding between offers from the Saints, Jets, and Bills, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Cadet, 28, has spent the majority of his career with the Saints, though he did have short stints with the 49ers and Patriots in 2015. Last year, Cadet settled back into his familiar passing down role, as he caught 41 balls from Drew Brees, managing 281 yards and four touchdowns in the process. Cadet wasn’t asked to carry the ball much, as he posted just four rushes for 19 yards.

Cadet has also spent a good deal of his career returning kicks, and that’s the role he’d likely play with the Bills and Jets, the latter of whom Cadet visited last week. Buffalo and New York both have established starting and backup running backs, Cadet wouldn’t seem to have much of a niche on offense in either city.

South Rumors: Bucs, Colts, Jaguars, Saints

March 14th, 2017 at 7:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers made a “strong push” for quarterback Nick Foles before he signed with the Eagles, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who last week reported mutual interest between Tampa Bay and Foles. Foles ended up inking a two-year, $11MM deal with Philadelphia that includes $7MM guaranteed. The Bucs could conceivably target another veteran backup quarterback, or simply roll with Ryan Griffin, whom they tendered at the original round level as a restricted free agent.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions:

Although one report indicated Darius Butler had reached a contract impasse with the Colts, the free agent defensive back could still return to Indianapolis, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Butler, who turns 31 this week, plans to transition to safety full-time in 2017 after dabbling at the position last year. PFR’s No. 4 free agent safety, Butler met with the Bears last week.
Although they missed out on the top free agent guard options, the Jaguars are still examining the offensive line market, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com writes. Jacksonville, of course, acquired left tackle Branden Albert from the Dolphins earlier this offseason, but still have a hole at left guard, where Patrick Omameh is currently projected to start. The Jags did sign former Cardinal Earl Watford to a two-year deal, but given that he’s best viewed as a reserve, the club may still bring in another interior lineman, either via the second wave of free agency or the draft.
The Saints aren’t all that intrigued by free agent wide receiver Andrew Hawkins after “kicking the tires” on him, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Hawkins, 31, was released by the Browns last month after three seasons with the club. Though he’s struggled over the past two years, Hawkins posted 63 receptions as recently as 2014.

Bradley McDougald To Visit Seahawks

March 14th, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent safety Bradley McDougald will take a meeting with the Seahawks later this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

Seattle, clearly, boasts perhaps the league’s best safety tandem when all parties are healthy, as Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are among the NFL’s top players at their respective positions. Thomas, though, is coming off a broken leg, so McDougald would provide the Seahawks with insurance as Thomas continues his rehab. But as Pete Carroll said on KJR earlier today (Twitter link), Thomas is “way ahead of schedule” in his recovery, so signs are pointing up as Thomas prepares for the 2017 campaign.

McDougald, 25, ranked as PFR’s No. 10 safety heading into free agency after spending four seasons with the Buccaneers. He’s started 31 games during that span while managing four interceptions and 14 passes defensed. McDougald, who graded as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 42 safety, seems unlikely to re-sign with the Buccaneers after Tampa signed fellow defensive back J.J. Wilcox to a two-year pact.

Chargers, Browns Interested In Geno Smith

March 14th, 2017 at 7:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers and Browns have expressed interest in free agent quarterback Geno Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). The Giants are also eyeing the former Jets signal-caller, and met with Smith last week.

Los Angeles re-signed its No. 2 quarterback Kellen Clemens last week, but he only inked a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract, meaning the Chargers would incur just $80K in dead money if they decided to cut bait with the 33-year-old. Philip Rivers has been remarkably durable during tenure as the Chargers’ starter, as he hasn’t missed a start since taking over more than a decade ago. As such, Smith wouldn’t be in line for much playing time if he opted to join Los Angeles.

The Browns, meanwhile, offers a wide open quarterback position, as the club is currently employing Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan (Cleveland also has Brock Osweiler under contract, but will reportedly trade or release him before he ever plays a down for the team). While the Browns will likely add a quarterback at some point in the upcoming draft, Smith would likely have a chance to earn playing time in northeast Ohio. For what it’s worth, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) isn’t getting the “vibe” that the Browns are interested in Smith.

Smith, 26, started one game for the Jets in 2016, but tore his ACL in that October contest and missed the remainder of the season. The former second-round pick has only attempted 56 passes over the past two years. PFR’s No. 14 free agent quarterback, Smith could still re-sign with Gang Green if the club doesn’t find a better option.