2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Giants To Sign Rhett Ellison

March 9th, 2017 at 4:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rhett Ellison received interest from the Jaguars and Giants and opted for New York. The tight end signed a four-year deal worth $18MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He will receive $8MM fully guaranteed at signing.

The Jaguars have outbid other suitors for big targets on Thursday but did not secure this mid-tier free agent, with the Giants agreeing to pay Ellison just less than $5MM per year. Both were interested in Ellison for around this price. Ellison, though, hasn’t proven too much in his career to date.

Operating as an auxiliary player in the Vikings’ offense behind Kyle Rudolph, Ellison has just 51 career catches in four seasons. Pro Football Focus graded him better as a blocker than receiver.

The Giants did not receive much from their tight ends last season, but Will Tye still snagged 48 passes for 398 yards. New York was also in on Martellus Bennett, who remains unsigned.

Redskins To Sign D.J. Swearinger

March 9th, 2017 at 4:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have agreed to sign safety D.J. Swearinger, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. It’s a three-year deal worth $4.5MM annually, and Swearinger will collect $6MM in 2017, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Swearinger, a former second-round pick who bounced around before finding a home in Arizona, started 12 games in 2016 and posted 64 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, and two sacks. Among free agent safeties, Swearinger ranks seventh in PFR’s estimation, just behind Micah Hyde and ahead of Jahleel Addae.

In Washington, Swearinger will join an interesting safety group that already includes Su’a Cravens, Will Blackmon, and DeAngelo Hall. Hall could be released in the coming days, while there’s been some chatter that second-year defensive back Kendall Fuller may also move to safety. The Redskins have been active with defensive signings today, as they’ve also brought in linemen Terrell McClain and Stacy McGee.

For the Cardinals, Swearinger is just the latest key defensive piece to defect, joining Calais Campbell and Tony Jefferson.

Eddie Lacy To Visit Seahawks, Vikings

March 9th, 2017 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Eddie Lacy could leave the Packers but stay in the division. The running back is set to visit the Vikings, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, as well as the Seahawks. Lacy will also meet with the Packers.

The Seahawks are obviously in the market for a veteran running back as they also have meetings scheduled with Latavius Murray and Jamaal Charles. Lacy would probably represent the most attractive option of the three, though he does come with some injury and conditioning concerns.

The Vikings are without a No. 1 running back after declining Adrian Peterson‘s $18MM option, but they’re obviously quite familiar with Lacy. The 26-year-old has thus far spent his entire career with archrival Green Bay, which selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. Lacy has since recorded a pair of 1,100-yard rushing seasons, though his production has dropped over the past two campaigns. The ex-Alabama star averaged a so-so 4.1 yards per rush and posted a career-low three touchdowns over 187 carries in 2015, and after bouncing back with a 5.1 YPC through five games last year, he landed on injured reserve in October because of an ankle issue.

Lacy, who expects to be at full health by next month, made it clear in late February that the Packers wanted him back. Green Bay was unable to keep him from hitting the market, though, and will now have to compete with other teams for his services. Lacy stands as one of the top players available in free agency.

Colts, Jeff Locke Agree To Deal

March 9th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Colts have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent punter Jeff Locke, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The 27-year-old Locke spent the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings, who had interest in re-signing him, according to Tomasson. He’ll instead take over for the retired Pat McAfee in Indianapolis. While McAfee was among the NFL top punters last year, Locke finished toward the bottom of the league in yards per punt and net average. However, he did rank fifth overall when it came to pinning opposing teams inside their 20-yard line.

PFR’s Dallas Robinson rated Locke as the top punter in a thin free agent class.

T.J. Lang To Meet With Lions, Seahawks

March 9th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Offensive guard T.J. Lang‘s first two free agent visits will be with the Lions and Seahawks, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The reporter adds that the Packers, Lang’s former team, are still in the mix. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein adds that Lang met with the Lions today, noting that the lineman only lives 20 minutes from Allen Park. Rothstein believes the player’s physical “will be the key here.”

The 29-year-old is one of the more popular names in free agency. The three teams listed above consistently been connected to the lineman. The interest isn’t much of a surprise, as the guard has proven to be one of the Packers’ more reliable options. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2011, Lang has only missed five regular season games.

Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his 2016 performance, despite the fact that he “only” played in 13 games. The website ranked Lang as the NFL’s eight-best guard, with his pass blocking skills being graded as elite.

Meanwhile, PFR ranked Lang as the second-best free agent interior lineman behind Kevin Zeitler. Zach Links predicted that the lineman would earn the 14th-highest contract this offseason.

Sharrif Floyd’s 2017 Salary Now Guaranteed

March 9th, 2017 at 4:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd‘s $6.757MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed, tweets Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Floyd, 26 in May, went down in the Vikings’ 2016 season opener and never returned to action. Since joining the team as a first-round pick in 2013, he has appeared in 44 games with 24 starts, missing two games in 2014, three games in 2015, and just about every game in 2016. The Vikings would probably like to get out of their obligation to Floyd, but recent comments by GM Rick Spielman indicated that the team has accepted the inevitable: he probably won’t get the greenlight from doctors and the Vikings will remain on the hook for his salary.

Floyd will earn his salary under the terms of his fifth-year option. Because that option is guaranteed for injury only, the Vikings can’t release him without paying that full charge.

Nick Fairley, Saints Agree To Deal

March 9th, 2017 at 4:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have agreed to re-sign defensive tackle Nick Fairley to a four-year deal, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com (Twitter link). Financial terms aren’t yet available, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted earlier Thursday that Fairley was in line for “big money.”

Fairley, 29, hit free agency in each of the past two offseasons, but he settled for one-year deals on each occasion. In 2015, Fairley signed with a pact with the Rams that came with a base value of $5MM, but also included incentives and escalators. Last year, the Saints landed Fairley on a fully guaranteed, $3MM contract that voided 15 days prior to the start of the 2017 league year.

In his sixth NFL season, Fairley appeared in all 16 games for New Orleans and racked up 6.5 sacks, grading out as the league’s No. 34 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. Fairley, a former first-round pick, earned exceptionally high marks for his pass rushing acumen (13th among defensive tackles), and quarterback pursuits have always been Fairley’s strong point.

Fairle was expected to test free agency in order to gauge his market value, and now it remains to be seen if he was able to secure the $10MM annual salary he was targeting. Fairley ranked as PFR’s No. 7 free agent interior defender.

Jabaal Sheard To Visit Dolphins

March 9th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins will host Jabaal Sheard on a free agency visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sheard spent two seasons with the Patriots and saw his role fluctuate often.

Sheard has drawn interest from the Colts as well during his second stint as a UFA, but the Dolphins will gauge his value on this upcoming visit.

The former Browns edge player was slightly better for the 2015 Patriots than the defending Super Bowl champions. Last year’s Pats at one point made him a healthy scratch, and although he started in eight games compared to one in 2015, Sheard registered five sacks compared to his eight in ’15. Nevertheless, Pro Football Focus liked his work, ranking Sheard as its No. 36 edge defender last season after giving him high marks in 2015 as well.

Miami re-signed Andre Branch this week and extended Cameron Wake earlier this offseason. Sheard is three years younger than Mario Williams, whom the team gambled on last year and eventually released after one season.

Manti Te’o Visiting Saints

March 9th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Linebacker Manti Te’o will visit the Saints today and tomorrow, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Te’o, the 38th overall pick in the 2013 draft, has been hindered by injuries throughout his career. As a rookie in 2013, Te’o suffered a foot injury in the preseason which sidelined him for the first part of the regular season. In the following year, the linebacker missed six games due to a foot fracture. In 2015, Te’o missed four games as the result of an ankle injury.

All told, Te’o has managed only 30 starts in four years with the Chargers, and he hasn’t been especially productive. Still, he ranks as the No. 13 free agent linebacker on PFR’s list, mostly based on perceived upside.

Dolphins To Cut DB Isa Abdul-Quddus

March 9th, 2017 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins plan to cut Isa Abdul-Quddus today due to a failed physical, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets. The defensive back suffered a serious neck injury late in the 2016 season.

Abdul-Quddus was signed to a three-year, $12.75MM deal prior to the 2016 to play opposite of Reshad Jones in the secondary. While he was on the field in the regular season, he did a good job of living up to his contract. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus ranked Abdul-Quddus as the No. 31 safety in the NFL out of 92 qualified players. His season ended with 78 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and five passes defended in 15 games.

It’s not immediately clear if when he’ll be ready to resume football activities.