HEADLINES

Month: March 2017

Vikings Interested In CB Lardarius Webb

March 13th, 2017 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have interest in free agent defensive back Lardarius Webb, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. The Ravens have some level interest in bringing the fan favorite back on a reduced deal, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll truly consider outside offers. Lardarius Webb (vertical)

[RELATED: Ravens May Re-Sign Lardarius Webb]

The Vikings currently project to start a pair of former first-round picks at cornerback in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes with Harrison Smith at free safety and Andrew Sendejo at strong safety. However, after losing Captain Munnerlyn to the Panthers in free agency, they could use some veteran help in the secondary. Webb started all 16 regular season games for Baltimore last season while seeing time at cornerback and both safety spots.

Last season, the 31-year-old finished with 73 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

Colts To Meet With LB Kevin Minter

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

Free agent linebacker Kevin Minter is taking a visit to Indianapolis to meet with the Colts, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Surprisingly, this marks the first known free agent visit for the Cardinals free agent. Kevin Minter (Vertical)

Minter was one of several high-profile free agents for Arizona this offseason. I had Minter ranked No. 22 on my Top 50 rundown of this year’s free agents, a list based on potential earning power. With relatively little buzz in the first week of free agency, it’s possible that he’ll fall short of fiscal expectations. In terms of ability, Minter was our third-ranked linebacker, behind only Dont’a Hightower and Zach Brown.

The Colts have already gotten to work on remodeling their front seven. Late last week, the Colts inked former intra-divisional rival John Simon to a three-year deal with a base value of $13.5MM. Hours later, they snagged former Patriot Jabaal Sheard, who could slot in at either linebacker or defensive end. Linebacker Erik Walden, meanwhile, is making the free agent rounds and could wind up signing elsewhere – perhaps with the rival Titans.

Last year, he racked up 81 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in 16 games.

Falcons To Meet With Dontari Poe

March 13th, 2017 at 1:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons are set to meet with Dontari Poe in the next 24 hours, according to Falcons PR staff member Kelsey Conway (on Twitter). The Falcons have been said to have interest in the free agent defensive tackle. Now, it seems, things are getting a little more serious. Dontari Poe (Vertical)

Poe visited the Colts on Sunday and although he did not leave with a deal, the meeting reportedly went well. Today, Poe is huddling up with the Jaguars. The 26-year-old has also garnered interest from the Dolphins, Raiders, and 49ers. The Colts were are open to a long-term deal for Po, but he might prefer a one-year pact that would allow him to rebuild his value before trying the market again next year. Clubs reportedly are concerned about Poe’s lingering back issues. If he can have a strong 2017 and stay healthy, he could be among next year’s top free agent earners.

The Falcons are looking to revamp the defensive line this offseason. Poe, who ranked as PFR’s No. 4 free agent interior defender heading into March 9, would slot in at defensive tackle next to Grady Jarrett and Ra’Shede Hageman. Hageman and Jarrett improved in 2016, but Atlanta’s front four still ranked in the bottom half of the league last year in adjusted line yards allowed and adjusted sack rate.

Chargers To Release OT King Dunlap

March 13th, 2017 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers are releasing King Dunlap, according to a source who spoke with Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The move was expected after the team signed Russell Okung. King Dunlap

Dunlap was scheduled to earn a $500K bonus on Saturday. With Okung now slated to start at left tackle, Dunlap would have been too costly as a backup. Assuming Dunlap is being released as a pre-June 1 cut, this move will save L.A. $4.875MM while leaving $3.25MM in dead money.

In four years with the Chargers, Dunlap started in in all 46 of his appearances with the club. Pro Football Focus rated him as just the 53rd best tackle in the NFL in 2016, his second straight injury-shortened campaign. In the last two years, he has missed 13 regular season contests.

For comparison, PFF ranked Okung 38th among 78 qualified tackles last year. That was considered a down year for Okung, but he is still a clear upgrade over Dunlap.

Dunlap has a pending legal case after authorities alleged that he violated a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend. If the NFL finds there is something to those charges, he may face league discipline. His attorney has chalked that up to a miscommunication, but teams may hold off on pursuing him until that situation is cleared up.

Titans Host Erik Walden On Visit

March 13th, 2017 at 12:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts free agent linebacker Erik Walden is visiting the Titans today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).Erik Walden (vertical)

Walden indicated last week that the Colts wouldn’t be re-signing him, an unsurprising decision given that Indianapolis is attempting to get younger on defense (new general manager Chris Ballard told veteran safety Mike Adams the same thing). Walden, 31, signed a four-year deal with the Colts prior to the 2013 campaign, and ended up appearing in 60 games for the club. After averaging only four sacks per season from 2013-15, Walden put up 11 quarterback takedowns last year, but still graded out as one of the six worst edge defenders in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Titans have already gotten out of the race for inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower, but Walden would give Tennessee a veteran presence on the edge. After playing more than 70% of the Colts’ defensive snaps a year ago, Walden would serve in a rotational backup role for the Titans, who already employ Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan. Tennessee ranked 14th in the NFL in adjusted sack rate last year.

Contract Details: Jones, Gresham, Church

March 13th, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed contracts:

Panthers’ Tre Boston Drawing Trade Interest

March 13th, 2017 at 12:11pm CST by Zachary Links

At least one team reached out to the Panthers to inquire about trading for safety Tre Boston, multiple sources tell Bill Voth of Black And Blue Review. The Panthers are not shopping Boston, he writes, but they may be willing listen to offers. "<strong

The Panthers, concerned about their situation at safety, signed Mike Adams this month after whiffing on top target Barry Church. Moving Boston would hurt their depth, but as Voth notes, this year’s draft is fairly loaded at safety. The top safeties in this year’s class include LSU’s Jamal Adams and Ohio State’s Malik Hooker, both of whom could be on the board when Carolina is up at No. 8.

The Panthers traded Kony Ealy to the Patriots late last week allowing them to move up from a third round pick (No. 72 overall) to the second round (No. 64). A Boston deal probably wouldn’t net them a ton in draft considerations, but it could give the Panthers a bit of extra ammunition in April.

Boston graded out as Pro Football Focus No. 46 safety last season, putting him in a three-way tie with Jairus Byrd (Saints) and George Iloka (Bengals). Boston’s coverage grades were not as strong as Byrd or Iloka, but he made up ground with a better showing in terms of pass rush. Boston’s 78.1 overall score stands as a career high, though he was roughly on the same plane in 2014 and 2015.

Eagles Expected To Release QB Chase Daniel

March 13th, 2017 at 11:44am CST by Zachary Links

As expected, the addition of Nick Foles will displace Chase Daniel in Philadelphia. However, he won’t be leaving via trade. Daniel has asked the Eagles to release him and the team is expected to do so Monday, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Caplan. The quarterback personally confirmed the impending move with WIP’s Howard Eskin (on Twitter).Chase Daniel (vertical)

Daniel, 30, inked a lucrative contract with the Eagles last offeason that made him one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Under the terms of the three-year deal, Daniel is still owed $7MM base salaries in each of the next two years. In 2017, $5MM of that salary is fully guaranteed, so, combined with the prorated bonus money left on Daniels’ pact, Philadelphia will take a $7MM dead money hit when it releases its No. 2 signal-caller.

The Eagles reportedly tried to trade Daniel last week, and while he drew some interest around the league, no club was willing to take on his contract. Despite his paycheck, Daniel is very inexperienced as an NFL passer, as he’s attempted only 78 passes during his seven-year career. Still, as many as six teams were interested in Daniel last year before he signed with Philadelphia, so he figures to have suitors as a free agent this time around.

Vikings To Host Datone Jones

March 13th, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Dallas Robinson

Having already met with running back Eddie Lacy, the Vikings are now set to visit with another Packers free agent. This time, it will be defensive end/linebacker Datone Jones, who will take a meeting with Minnesota today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.Datone Jones (vertical)

Jones, 26, spent the 2016 campaign playing outside linebacker in Green Bay’s 3-4 front after playing the early part of his career as a defensive end. The Vikings run a 4-3 scheme, meaning Jones almost certainly wouldn’t stick at linebacker. More likely, he’d return to end, or perhaps even play as a three-technique defensive tackle (Jones is listed as 6’4″, 283 pounds).

A former first-round pick, Jones is on the free agent market because the Packers declined his 2017 fifth-year option. Through four seasons with Green Bay, Jones appeared in 59 games but only started seven contests.

In 2016, Jones posted one sack and 22 tackles on 548 defensive snaps, grading as the league’s No. 61 edge defender among 109 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. PFR ranked Jones as the ninth-best free agent edge defender heading into the offseason.

Falcons’ Devonta Freeman Won’t Request Trade

March 13th, 2017 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

Despite talk of him being unhappy with his current contract, Falcons running back Devonta Freeman says he has no plans to seek a trade out of Atlanta, ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure writes. Devonta Freeman

“This is coming out of my mouth: I definitely know I’m going to be playing for the Atlanta Falcons,” Freeman said. “This is the team I want to play for. I’m almost 100 percent for sure business will be taken care of because we’re all in this thing to win and have success.”

During Super Bowl week, Freeman’s agent Kristin Campbell made waves by saying she wanted Freeman to be paid like an “elite” running back. The timing was not ideal, but GM Thomas Dimitroff said it wasn’t really a distraction for the team. Then, days ago, Kristin’s husband Luther Campbell (better known as Uncle Luke of 2 Live Crew fame) fired off a tweet that seemed to indicate a trade request could be coming down the pike. Now, Freeman has put such talk to rest.

Freeman is coming off his second consecutive regular season with 1,000+ rushing yards, 13+ all-purpose touchdowns, and upwards of 50 receptions. He racked up those numbers despite splitting carries with 2015 third-round pick Tevin Coleman.

Freeman’s contract is set to expire after the 2017 season. Barring an extension, he’ll carry a modest ~$1.92MM cap number before being eligible for free agency.

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