2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Ravens May Re-Sign Lardarius Webb

March 13th, 2017 at 11:09am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens are mulling a reunion with defensive back Lardarius Webb just days after releasing him, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Additionally, Baltimore may be closing in on agreement with free agent cornerback Morris Claiborne, as several teams with interest in Claiborne believe he’ll ultimately land with the Ravens, per La Canfora.

Baltimore cut ties with Webb on Friday after agreeing to terms with fellow safety Tony Jefferson, a cost-saving move that saved the club $5.5MM in cap space. Presumably, a potential Webb return would come with a lower price attached. Webb had spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore appearing in 111 total games with 82 starts. Last season, the 31-year-old finished with 73 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 16 games (all starts).

Claiborne, meanwhile, was first linked to the Ravens last week. The 26-year-old transformed himself from a former draft bust to a legitimate top corner in his fifth NFL season, ranking as Pro Football Focus 12th-best corner last year year. Re-signed to a one-year deal worth only $3MM in 2016, Claiborne played in seven and posted one interception. Injuries forced Claiborne to miss more than half of the regular season, though he did return for the postseason.

Free Agency Rumors: Steelers, Cards, Bills

March 13th, 2017 at 11:03am CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent news:

Cornerback Davon House will visit with the Steelers on Monday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). House was let go by Jacksonville earlier this month. Green Bay reportedly reached out to him about a reunion, but we haven’t heard much on that front in recent days.
Steelers free agent linebacker Jarvis Jones is visiting today with the Cardinals, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Steelers remain interested, however, and the two sides are still in discussions. We had Jones ranked as one of the fifteen best edge defenders heading into the opening of free agency last week. The former first-round pick hasn’t justified his high selection in the draft, but he has been pretty solid against the run.
The Bills are holding free agent visits with former Green Bay linebacker Jayrone Elliott and former Bolts wide receiver Jeremy Butler, according to a team announcement. Both players were non-tendered by their respective former clubs. Butler appeared in four games last season and caught two passes for eleven yards. In eleven games with Green Bay last year, Elliott had one sack and 12 total tackles.
The Broncos have interest in Saints free agent defensive end Kasim Edebali, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Edebali could provide depth and special teams experience for Denver. He was non-tendered by New Orleans last week.
Cardinals free agent outside linebacker Alex Okafor is visiting the Saints today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Okafor played through a painful torn bicep injury last season.

Anquan Boldin To Continue Career In 2017

March 13th, 2017 at 10:57am CST by Dallas Robinson

Anquan Boldin has decided to continue to extend his NFL career for a 15th season, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN (Twitter link). Boldin, 36, is an unrestricted free agent.

Signed to a one-year, $2.75MM deal prior to last season, Boldin appeared in all 16 games for the Lions in 2016. On 95 targets, Boldin managed 67 receptions for 584 yards and eight touchdowns. While the yardage total was the lowest of Boldin’s career, his eight scores were the most he’s posted since 2008. Boldin, a three-time Pro Bowler, played on 80% of Detroit’s offensive snaps as the club’s third receiver behind Golden Tate and Marvin Jones.

Boldin will now enter a free agent receiver market that has seen most of the top options at the position already come off the board. Michael Floyd, Cordarrelle Patterson, Victor Cruz, and Kamar Aiken are among the other pass-catchers that remain unsigned.

Jets Reach Out To Jay Cutler

March 13th, 2017 at 10:34am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are in contact with free agent quarterback Jay Cutler and are expected to meet with him at some point, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Cutler has been linked to the Jets for more than a month, and a potential match between the two sides only grew more apparent when Gang Green hired longtime Cutler backer Jeremy Bates as its new quarterbacks coach. New York’s interest in Cutler is reportedly mutual, as Rapoport indicated last week, making the Jets the first club to be officially tied to the former Bears signal-caller. The 49ers were mentioned as a possible landing spot for Cutler before free agency began, but San Francisco has since agreed to terms with Cutler’s ex-teammates Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley.

The Jets currently have two quarterbacks on their roster in Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, but the team’s front office reportedly doesn’t believe either of those recent draft picks can develop into anything more than a long-term backup. New York was involved in the early Mike Glennon sweepstakes before he signed on to replace Hoyer in Chicago, and has also been tied to draft prospects Deshaun Watson and Mitch Trubisky as its seeks to stabilize the quarterback position.

Cutler, 33, spent most of the 2016 campaign sidelined by injuries, and wasn’t effective when he was on the field. In five starts, Cutler tossed four touchdowns against five interceptions, and posted a Total Quarterback Rating of just 33.1.

Dolphins Rework William Hayes’ Deal

March 13th, 2017 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have “deleted” the 2018 season in newly-acquired defensive end William Hayes‘ contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. He is now scheduled to become a free agent next offseason. In exchange for this concession, Hayes has agreed to trim $750K from his 2017 salary (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald).

Late last week, the Dolphins acquired Hayes in a trade with the Rams which saw Miami give up a sixth-round pick and get back a seventh-round selection. It was a great trade for the Dolphins as they got a quality player in exchange for moving down 17 spots late in the draft.

Hayes signed a three year, $17.5MM contract with the Rams last offseason which called for him to carry a $5.5MM cap number in 2017 and a $5MM number in 2018. Given the way pass rushers have been getting paid as of late, Hayes could stand to profit from the alteration this time next year.

Hayes, 32 this spring, appeared in 14 games (all starts) for the Rams last season and racked up five sacks and 43 total tackles. Since joining the Rams in 2012, he has never had less than four sacks per season and has averaged five sacks per campaign. Last year, he was Pro Football Focus’ No. 17 edge defender in the NFL, thanks largely to his favorable run defense grade. He was ranked higher than a lot of big names, including Nick Perry, Bruce Irvin, Ryan Kerrigan, and Tamba Hali.

Dont’a Hightower To Visit Steelers

March 13th, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots free agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower is scheduled to visit the Steelers, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This will mark Hightower’s third free agent visit.

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Hightower has been making the free agent rounds in recent days, but the Jets and Titans don’t believe he’s serious about leaving New England. The Titans aren’t prime contenders for 2017 and the Jets’ odds of winning this year seem very slim, but the Steelers could hold appeal for Hightower if he is focused on winning another Super Bowl ring. At minimum, this meeting could be enough to scare the Patriots into increasing their offer.

The Steelers are currently projected to start Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, and James Harrison at linebacker. Needless to say, room could be made for a star like Hightower.

The Steelers are down one linebacker after veteran Lawrence Timmons signed on with the Dolphins.

Bills Sign DE Ryan Davis

March 13th, 2017 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have signed defensive end Ryan Davis, according to a team announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known.

Davis played in 30 games for the Jaguars in 2014-15 and racked up ten sacks between the two seasons. After that, the Jaguars placed a second-round tender ($2.55MM) on him to prevent him from leaving in free agency. Then, Jacksonville surprised everyone by dropping him in September of last year. After that, he hooked on with the Cowboys and was used largely as a special teamer. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury late in the regular season which prevented him from suiting up in the playoffs.

It’s not immediately clear what kind of role Davis is ticketed for in Buffalo. He may get a chance to return to a traditional workload on defensive end with Corbin Bryant and Leger Douzable still out there as free agents. If neither player is retained, there should be more playing time available for Davis behind projected starters Adolphus Washington and Kyle Williams.

Last year, Davis joined Dallas on a modest one-year, $675K deal.

Patriots Hosting Rex Burkhead On Visit

March 13th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are hosting running back Rex Burkhead on a visit today, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This marks the second known visit for Burkhead after he met with the Falcons over the weekend.

With LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden in free agent limbo, the Pats are in the market for a running back or two. Right now, the Pats’ RB depth chart is topped by James White and Dion Lewis with 2016 UDFA D.J. Foster in support. Burkhead could be given a chance to compete for the top job in NE if he joins the Pats and Blount is not re-signed.

Last year, after Giovani Bernard went down, Burkhead proved to be a solid and efficient tailback. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry on the year for the Bengals, setting himself up as one of the young running backs on the open market this year.

Burkhead was our No. 7 UFA running back this year, behind Eddie Lacy, Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount, Latavius Murray, Jamaal Charles, Darren McFadden, and Jacquizz Rodgers. He was slotted ahead of notables like Rashad Jennings, Danny Woodhead, and DeAngelo Williams.

Dont’a Hightower Visits Titans

March 13th, 2017 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

Dont’a Hightower visited with the Jets this weekend and he’s spent time with Titans, but it doesn’t necessarily sound like he’ll be signing with either team. After both meetings, the Jets and Titans left convinced he’ll re-sign with the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This jibes with an earlier report which said an unknown team in the mix for Hightower has the same impression.

At this point, it sounds like the linebacker may be looking to drum up a high-priced offer to take back to the Patriots. However, if the Titans and Jets do not believe they can lure him away, they might be unwilling to submit a formal offer.

Right now, league-wide belief is that Hightower will circle back to the Pats on a deal worth about $10MM per year. That would be less money than anticipated before March 9, but other players at the top of the market have also had to settle for less. For example, top wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor both settled for unimpressive one-year deals after rumblings of lucrative multi-year pacts.

Hightower finished the 2016 campaign with 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 13 games. Before the start of free agency, we listed him as the best available linebacker in our free agent positional rankings.

Eagles Sign QB Nick Foles

March 13th, 2017 at 8:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are reuniting with quarterback Nick Foles. It’s a two-year, $11MM deal with $7MM guaranteed, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Foles now returns to the place where he first (and last) found NFL success. This time, however, he won’t be starting. He’ll serve as a backup for rising sophomore Carson Wentz. With five years of NFL experience, Foles should be able to impart some wisdom on the youngster. He’ll also be able to take over in the event of an injury and on paper he is probably one of the league’s better No. 2 QBs.

The acquisition of Foles may mean that Chase Daniel is on the verge of getting traded. Daniel has been in trade rumors for weeks now and neither he nor Foles would be happy as the third quarterback on the depth chart. Daniel, entering his age-31 season, still doesn’t have a major body of work to show teams, but he is well respected in the league and could net the Eagles a draft pick.

Foles, 28, appeared in three games for the Chiefs in 2016 (one start), completing 36 of 55 attempts for 410 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. While his single start was an impressive showing, it’s been a while since he’s played that well in a larger sample size. After tossing 27 touchdowns with the Eagles in 2013, Foles’ next two campaigns were middling, and he wasn’t able to keep his starting job with the Rams.