HEADLINES

Month: March 2017

RG3 Wants To Play For Jets

March 10th, 2017 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

This offseason, the Jets’ resource limitations kept them from pursuing quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo and keeping up with the bidding for free agent Mike Glennon. As their options dwindle, a new name could emerge as a possibility. The recently-released Robert Griffin III is interested in playing for the Jets, a source familiar with the situation tells NJ.com’s Connor Hughes. It’s not immediately clear whether that interest in being reciprocated at this time."<strong

Last year, we know that the Jets did have some level of interest in RG3. He was brought to Florham Park, New Jersey for a visit and he enjoyed his trip there, according to the source. Griffin, 27, looked like he was a rising star early in his career. As time went on, however, injuries slowed him down and his relationship with team brass in Washington became toxic. He went to Cleveland in search of a fresh start, but he was once again dogged by injury. He left the Browns after appearing in just five games for them in 2016.

Now, RG3 is looking for Act 3 of his career. And that could go down in New York, if the Jets feel that he is among their better options right now. All we know right now is that the Jets are thinking about signing Jay Cutler and Tony Romo won’t be an option of them for a number of reasons. If RG3 isn’t to their liking, they’ll be left to sift through a lot of QB2 types on the open market, including their own free agent Geno Smith.

Right now, the only quarterbacks on the Jets roster are Bryce Petty (who shares an alma mater with RG3) and Christian Hackenberg.

Panthers Sign Julius Peppers

March 10th, 2017 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are bringing back Julius Peppers back home, agent Carl Carey tweets. The discussions between the two sides were first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). <a rel=

Peppers, 37, spent the first eight years of his career with the Panthers. In Carolina, he earned five Pro Bowl selections and three First-Team All-Pro nods. He is one of the greatest players in franchise history and he’ll now get to finish his career where it all started.

Of course, a Peppers return is more than just a feel good story. Even at this stage of his career, Peppers is still a very effective player. Last year, he appeared in all 16 regular season games (11 starts) for the Packers and recorded 7.5 sacks. He also started in all three of Green Bay’s playoff games.

All in all, he was on the field for 715 snaps in the regular season and he appears to be as durable as ever. Peppers has only missed two games in his career due to injury (sprained MCL, 2007). He was out of action for four games in his rookie season, but that was due to a suspension.

Peppers played a variety of positions during his tenure in Green Bay, so it’s logical that he could slot in at defensive end, linebacker, or even defensive tackle. The Panthers have a trio of first-rounders manning linebacker, so it’s unlikely that he’ll start there. It’s more likely that he’ll start at defensive end, where he’ll be competing with Mario Addison and Kony Ealy for snaps.

PFR ranked Peppers as the seventh-best free agent edge defender.

Colts Release CB Patrick Robinson

March 10th, 2017 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are releasing cornerback Patrick Robinson, according to a team announcement. The former first-round pick is now free to sign with other teams. Patrick Robinson (vertical)

Robinson joined the Colts on a three-year, $14MM pact ($6MM guaranteed) less than one year ago today. He played in seven games for Indy and totaled 26 tackles, five passes defensed, and one forced fumble before landing on IR with a groin injury. Before the groin issue sidelined him, he also dealt with a concussion and a knee ailment. Robinson was a solid slot cornerback in his lone year with the Chargers in 2015. He could not reprise that performance after cashing in with the Colts.

Although the overall number of Robinson’s deal was high, it wouldn’t have cost much for the Colts to have kept him. He was on the books for a modest $3MM base salary in the coming season. For one reason or another, new GM Chris Ballard wasn’t interested in retaining him.

The Colts’ cornerback depth chart is currently headlined by Rashaan Melvin and Vontae Davis. Cornerback/safety Darius Butler (who would prefer to play safety) remains in free agent limbo.

Browns To Release RG3

March 10th, 2017 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are releasing Robert Griffin III, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Griffin leaves the Browns after playing in just five games for the organization. <a rel=

After the Browns acquired Brock Osweiler on Thursday, it was speculated that the club could turn around and release Griffin. It’s still not certain that the Browns will forge ahead with Osweiler as their starter, but this could be a sign of that coming to fruition. Griffin will now re-enter the free agent market without much to show teams from last year.

Griffin suffered a serious shoulder injury in his very first game with Cleveland last year. After that, he was designated as the team’s one player for return from injured reserve. All in all, he played in five games and completed just 59.2% of his passes for 886 yards with 2 touchdowns against 3 interceptions. He also added 190 yards on the ground off of 31 carries and had two rushing touchdowns.

This is a far cry from his rookie performance with the Redskins in 2012. That season, the first-rounder completed 65.6-percent of his passes for 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He added another 850 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. In the four seasons since, Griffin has only played in 27 games.

The quarterback visited the Jets as a free agent last offseason, but it’s unlikely the organization would have interest in him this time around. For team’s seeking a backup, there are a number of more reliable options available via free agency. However, you could argue that many of these quarterbacks don’t have the same ceiling as RG3.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/10/17

March 10th, 2017 at 11:30am CST by Ben Levine

Rounding up some of this week’s tender decisions:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Bills OL Ryan Groy Drawing Interest

March 10th, 2017 at 11:27am CST by Zachary Links

Bills restricted free agent Ryan Groy is drawing interest from at least four teams, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). A few of those teams, Caplan adds, believe that the guard/center could start for them. Ryan Groy (vertical)

Groy, 27 in September, wound up starting in the middle for Buffalo after Ryan Wood suffered a broken leg last season. All in all, he had an alright showing, placing as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd best center out of 38 qualified players. At minimum, Groy would make sense for teams as a sub who could play in three different spots on the offensive line.

Groy was undrafted, so under the terms of his “original round” tender, the Bills would not be entitled to any draft compensation from a club if they choose not to match an offer sheet.

Bengals Re-Sign Eric Winston

March 10th, 2017 at 11:03am CST by Ben Levine

Eric Winston is sticking around Cincinnati. ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive tackle has signed a one-year deal with the Bengals.

Eric WinstonThe 2006 third-round pick has bounced around the NFL since leaving the Texans following the 2011 season, spending time with the Chiefs, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Bengals. The NFLPA president apparently found a home in Cincinnati, where he’s appeared in 29 games over the past two seasons (four starts). Winston didn’t earn great marks from Pro Football Focus for his performance in 2016, although the website was fond of his run blocking skills.

Winston will presumably return to a backup role in 2017, shadowing starting tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher.

Bears To Sign CB Prince Amukamara

March 10th, 2017 at 10:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears are signing cornerback Prince Amukamara, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, Amukamara tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets that the deal is worth $7MM (all guaranteed). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that half of that guaranteed money will come via base salary with the other half coming via a signing bonus."<strong

[RELATED: Check Out The Bears’ Updated Depth Chart On Roster Resource]

After being slowed by injuries with the Giants, Amukamara managed to stay on the field for most of the year in his one season with the Jaguars. He probably won’t blossom into a shutdown corner this late in his career, but the former first-round pick could make a fine starter for the Bears. Right now, Amukamara figures to start at one cornerback position with Cre’von LeBlanc holding down the other starting job.

The Bears were swinging for the fences this week, but came up short in several of their pursuits. Originally, Chicago was zeroing in on this year’s top available cornerback, A.J. Bouye. For one reason or another, it seems Bouye never had genuine interest in signing with the Bears. With Logan Ryan and others off the board, Amukamara stood as one of the best corners on the board by Friday morning.

In terms of ability, we had Amukamara ranked as this offseason’s sixth-best corner, behind Bouye, Ryan, Stephon Gilmore, Morris Claiborne, and Dre Kirkpatrick.

Redskins QB Kirk Cousins Signs Tender Contract

March 10th, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links

It’s official: Kirk Cousins has signed his one-year franchise tender. We heard on Thursday that Cousins would sign on the dotted line, even though he is ostensibly frustrated with the chaos going down in Washington right now.

Kirk CousinsCousins personally appealed to Dan Snyder for a trade this week, but he was rebuffed by the polarizing owner. Cousins stopped short of a trade demand, however, and has accepted the fact that he probably isn’t going anywhere. The signing of the one-year tender does not hinder the Redskins from trading Cousins, but Washington has so far shown no willingness to move the QB. Meanwhile, top potential suitors like the Niners and the Browns seem to have other plans for the quarterback position.

The Redskins and Cousins now have until July 15 to hammer out a long-term extension. If a deal is not completed, he’ll earn nearly $24MM for the 2017 season before – again – being scheduled for free agency.

2016 was another solid campaign for Cousins, who completed 67-percent of his passes for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. This performance led to the 28-year-old making his first Pro Bowl.

For team’s seeking a starting quarterback, Cousins would surely be a more attractive option than the best remaining free agents. Based on our rankings, Nick Foles is currently the best available quarterbacks.

Ravens To Cut Lardarius Webb

March 10th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are releasing defensive back Lardarius Webb, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). We heard earlier this week that the Ravens were likely to part ways with the fan favorite.Lardarius Webb (vertical)

By cutting one of their longest-tenured players, Baltimore will save $5.5MM in cap room. Webb, 31, is being displaced after the team’s high-priced signing of former Arizona safety Tony Jefferson. Jefferson is several years younger, but the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus were nearly as high on Webb as they were on Jefferson last year. Webb was PFF’s No. 15 ranked safety, Jefferson placed in fifth.

Webb has spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore, until today. In total, he has appeared in 111 games with 82 starts. Last season, the defender finished with 73 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 16 games (16 starts).

The Ravens will surely be looking for additional help at the position, as the team is currently rostering only a pair of safeties in Jefferson and Eric Weddle.

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