2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bills To Sign WR Jeremy Butler

March 13th, 2017 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Chargers receiver Jeremy Butler is signing a one-year deal today with the Bills, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.

Butler was non-tendered by Los Angeles last week. Butler appeared in four games last season for the Bolts and caught only two passes for eleven yards. In between his time with the Ravens and Chargers, he had a brief stint with the Jets.

The 25-year-old (26 in April) appeared in eight games in 2015, collecting 31 catches for 363 yards. Extrapolated to a full season, those are some pretty solid numbers. That’s likely the kind of playing time and production he’s shooting for in 2017 with Buffalo. The Bills now have a quality receiver to help support star Sammy Watkins. The rest of the WR depth chart isn’t exactly star studded. Philly Brown (newly signed), Dezmin Lewis, Walt Powell, and Kolby Listenbee are the team’s other receivers under contract.

Butler’s departure still leaves the Chargers with Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin as their three best wide receivers. Butler would have slotted no higher than the team’s WR4 had he re-signed.

Colts Re-Sign RB Robert Turbin

March 13th, 2017 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Bobby Turbo is back in Indy. The Colts have re-signed Robert Turbin to a two-year deal worth up to $4.1MM, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

Turbin had one of his most productive NFL seasons in 2016, running for 164 yards and seven touchdowns. The 27-year-old also collected a career-high 26 receptions to go along with 179 yards and one score. He’s now slated to battle it out for playing time with veteran Frank Gore and Josh Ferguson. It’s a safe bet that the Colts will explore some upgrades at the position as well.

Turbin missed the cut on my top 15 list of free agent running backs, but he did garner honorable mention. We haven’t heard much on him since the legal tampering period kicked off six days ago, so there might not have been much of a market for him outside of Indy.

Vikings In On CB Nickell Robey-Coleman

March 13th, 2017 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are one of four teams in the mix to sign free-agent defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. As Tomasson notes, he could be a replacement in the slot for Captain Munnerlyn.

Robey-Coleman was cut by Buffalo earlier this month and that move caught some by surprise, given his proficiency in the slot. He didn’t get mainstream attention with the Bills, but he did earn a higher grade from Pro Football Focus higher than teammates Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. He ranked as PFF’s No. 33 overall corner overall for his work in 573 snaps. The former USC standout also had two interceptions, one forced fumble, and a defensive touchdown.

The Vikings are also interested in defensive back Lardarius Webb.

Cardinals Re-Sign RB Andre Ellington

March 13th, 2017 at 3:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have re-signed running back Andre Ellington, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We had Ellington ranked as one of the 15 best free agent running backs this year.

Ellington, 28, was once the Cardinals’ primary running back and thought to be the future at the position. However, he struggled to stay healthy while David Johnson and Chris Johnson leapfrogged him in the pecking order. Right now, it’s not clear if CJ2K will be back in Arizona, so Ellington may have the No. 2 RB spot if the team does not add another impact runner in free agency or the draft.

Last year, Ellington appeared in every regular season game but had only 34 carries for 96 yards. He added 12 catches for 85 yards.

Jets Reach Out To QB Josh McCown

March 13th, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Zachary Links

We’re nearly one week into free agency and the Jets still haven’t resolved their starting quarterback situation. They could be getting closer to figuring out the puzzle, however, Recently, the Jets reached out to Josh McCown‘s camp, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Jets, Rapoport adds, have “lots of options” for their quarterback spot. That is true, though none of those QB options are particularly inspiring. Jay Cutler probably stands as their best free agent option and the Jets have made contact with his reps. If they can’t wrangle Cutler or McCown, their best option in free agency could wind up being a reunion with Geno Smith. No matter the outcome, this could be a rough year for Jets fans.

McCown made five appearances (three starts) with the Browns last year as he battled injuries. In that small sample, he completed 54.5% of his passes, averaged 6.7 yards per attempt, and threw six touchdowns against six picks. I had McCown listed as one of the ten best quarterbacks on the board at the outset of free agency. Now, with other signal callers off the board, he’s a bit higher in terms of those still available.

McCown recently visited the Cowboys and there is said to be mutual interest between the two parties.

Giants Re-Sign OL John Jerry

March 13th, 2017 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are not done spending money on the offensive line. Today, they agreed to terms with offensive lineman John Jerry on a three-year deal worth $10MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The pact includes $4.25MM guaranteed.

The Giants signed former Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker to a deal over the weekend. Now, Jerry will return to a unit that has lost Marshall Newhouse to the Raiders. Veteran Will Beatty reportedly is not expected to return.

Jerry, 30, started all 16 games for the Giants last season, lining up at right guard. It seems likely that he’ll reprise that role in 2017. The rest of the line, however, remains in flux. It’s not clear where left tackle Ereck Flowers will play and Fluker is not guaranteed a starting job. The only offensive lineman who have secured starting roles, reportedly, are Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg.

Chiefs Sign DT Bennie Logan

March 13th, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs are signing defensive tackle Bennie Logan to a one-year deal, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The accord will likely displace free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe.

The Redskins had reported interest in Logan dating back to January, but he left D.C. on Friday without a deal. That left the door open for KC to swoop in and land one of this year’s top available defensive tackles.

I would presume Logan came with a lower asking price than Poe, but terms of the Logan deal are not yet known and we don’t know for sure how far the Poe market has sunk. The Falcons, Colts, Jaguars, Dolphins, Raiders, and 49ers are all known to have interest in Poe, but his back problems are reportedly giving teams pause. He may wind up taking a one-year prove-it deal with an eye on re-entering the market next March. The Chiefs’ decision to sign Logan over Poe isn’t a great endorsement of the former first-round pick and his market will likely suffer now that a major suitor is off the table.

Logan, a third-round pick in 2013, has missed five games since entering the league – all in the past two seasons – and totaled 51 starts and 5.5 sacks. He’s coming off the third straight year in which he started in each of his appearances, and he notched personal bests in sacks (2.5) and forced fumbles (two).

Logan earned an honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list, and ranked as our No. 6 free agent interior defender.

Giants To Retain RB Shane Vereen

March 13th, 2017 at 2:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Shane Vereen appears set to return to the Giants in 2017. New York will pay the running back’s $500K roster bonus by the Monday deadline, a source familiar with the the team’s thinking tells Kimberly Jones of NFL Network (on Twitter).

Vereen joined up with the G-Men before the 2015 season and caught 59 passes in his first year with the team. Unfortunately, he missed the majority of last season after tearing a triceps muscle on two separate occasions. All in all, he had 33 carries for 158 yards and one score plus 11 catches for 94 yards across five games. The Giants know what the 28-year-old is capable of when healthy, so they will retain him for 2017.

After dropping Rashad Jennings in February, the Giants are left with Paul Perkins, Vereen, Orleans Darkwa, and George Winn at running back. Perkins has promise, but the Giants seem likely to add running back help either in the second wave of free agency or in the draft. Vereen won’t be the workhorse of the group, but he should be used plenty as a pass-catching specialist.

Titans Out On Dont’a Hightower

March 13th, 2017 at 2:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans aren’t buying the notion that Dont’a Hightower is serious about leaving the Patriots. So, they have taken the logical step of removing themselves from the Hightower sweepstakes, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Things can always change, but right now they are planning on putting their energy, focus, and money in a different direction. Meanwhile, GM Jon Robinson says that Hightower never even visited the team (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com).

Non-rush linebackers don’t typically cash in on the open market, but Hightower is excellent at what he does and figures to be an exception. Although the Pats declined to give him a franchise tender worth roughly $14.7MM for one-year, he could still get eight figures per season on a multi-year deal.

In order to get that kind of money from New England, he’ll first have to get a similar offer from another team. Right now, the Titans and Jets don’t believe he’s sincere about leaving the defending champs. He’s now slated to visit with the Steelers, however, and that’s a team that would be of interest to any player serious about winning.

The Titans, meanwhile, will continue to roll with Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard as inside linebackers in their 3-4 scheme. Both defenders graded as top-50 ‘backers in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and Tennessee reportedly holds the 25-year-old Williamson in especially high regard.

Latest On Patriots, Malcolm Butler

March 13th, 2017 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Malcolm Butler is less than thrilled about the Patriots’ decision to give a big money contract to fellow cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Now, as he sits in restricted free agency limbo, he is willing to jump at a fair market offer sheet, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

As an RFA, Butler can sign an offer sheet with another team until April 21, giving the Patriots five days to match. If the Patriots decline to match, they’ll acquire the signing club’s 2017 first round pick. It’s an outcome the Patriots would reportedly be okay with and that makes sense given the depth of this year’s cornerback class.

Last year, the Pats offered Butler an extension worth $6-7MM per season, a source tells Howe. That would have given Butler a big pay bump, but it was still below his market value and didn’t bring him close to the top-10 CB salary he was seeking. In 2016, Aqib Talib and Sean Smith were tied for the 10th highest average annual value amongst cornerbacks at $9.5MM/year. The Patriots also told Butler they wouldn’t give that kind of money to any cornerback. After Gilmore got a five-year, $65MM deal, Butler is peeved at the Patriots’ front office.

Despite Butler’s hurt feelings, the source tells Howe that he understands he could still remain with the Patriots. He has no plans to hold out if he remains with the club under the terms of the $3.91MM tender.