2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

FA Rumors: Charles, Hightower, Cutler, Bills

March 9th, 2017 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agency rumors from around the league:

Jamaal Charles will visit the Seahawks next week, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Seahawks’ interest in Charles was first reported on Thursday morning. If he signs with Seattle, he’ll join Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise on the RB depth chart.
A Dont’a Hightower/Patriots re-up remains on the table, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (on Twitter) the parties remain in good communication about keeping Hightower in New England.
The Jets‘ interest in Jay Cutler is being reciprocated by the veteran quarterback, Rapoport notes (on Twitter). The Bears released Cutler today after eight seasons.
Malcolm Smith will receive a raise from the 49ers after his two years with the Raiders. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets it’s a five-year, $26.5MM deal for the outside ‘backer, with $13MM guaranteed. This $5.3MM-AAV pact represents quite the bump from his $3.5MM deal in Oakland, one that didn’t come with rave reviews from the advanced metrics community.
The Bills remain interested in retaining Lorenzo Alexander, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweets. The sides are continuing to work at completing a deal for the edge defender. Although the Bills are moving to a 4-3 scheme, Alexander — who thrived as a 3-4 outside ‘backer in the form of 12.5 sacks in 2016 — looks to still be part of their plans.
It sounds like the Bills and Lions are in the lead for wide receiver Russell Shepard (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). He could still wind up returning to the Buccaneers.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.

Vikings Interested In Alshon Jeffery

March 9th, 2017 at 2:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Time to add another team to the Alshon Jeffery sweepstakes. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings have “entered the fold” for the talented wideout. The reporter notes that the receivers is currently in talks with the Colts, Bears, and Eagles. We’ve heard these names thrown around previously.

A suspension and poor quarterback play led to one of the least productive seasons in 2016 for Jeffery, as the wideout hauled in a career-low 52 receptions for 821 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, the 27-year-old would still be an intriguing option for Sam Bradford and the Vikings offense. The team’s receiver depth chart is currently headlined by Stefon Diggs and Jarius Wright, followed by Laquon Treadwell and Isaac Fruechte.

Restricted free agent Adam Thielen led all Vikings receivers last season with 967 receiving yards. Diggs finished the campaign with a team-leading 84 receptions, while tight end Kyle Rudolph caught seven touchdowns.

We listed Jeffery as the best free agent wideout, and Zach Links projected that the receiver would earn the second-highest contract among all free agents.

Texans Trade Brock Osweiler To Browns

March 9th, 2017 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Whoa! The Texans are trading quarterback Brock Osweiler and a 2018 second-round pick to the Browns in order to move his $16MM salary off the books, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Facebook link). The deal will also see the Browns’ fourth-round pick go to Houston and the Texans’ sixth-round choice to go Cleveland. The Texans have made the deal official, announcing its completion via press release.

This type of deal rarely goes down in the NFL and is more of an NBA or MLB type of transaction. In this swap, the Browns are absorbing an albatross of a deal in order to acquire significant draft compensation. The wheeling and dealing might not stop here: Cleveland is not committed to keeping Osweiler and is likely to try to trade him, sources tell Schefter.

On the other hand, maybe they’ll keep him. The Browns are expected to move on from Robert Griffin III and the Brock Osweiler acquisition should clear the way for that, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The move clears out tons of cap space for the Texans who are expected to use that money towards signing Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Schefter writes. The deal saves $10MM in cap space for the Texans and $16MM in cash.

The Texans signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72MM roughly one year ago today with the hope that he would be their QB of the future. That, obviously, did not work out. Osweiler’s deal calls for him to earn $16MM guaranteed this year. After that, he has $18MM and $17MM non-guaranteed salaries in 2018 and 2019.

The Browns came into this week with upwards of $100MM to spend and Schefter writes that they would have struggled to spend all of it. Still, this seems like a very strange way to utilize that space. The only way this trade would make real sense for the Browns, in my view, is if they already have a final leg of the trade set up in which they deal Osweiler for something else of value. As of this writing, the Browns are spending $16MM in cash to acquire a second-round choice and that is not good business.

Dolphins To Extend Reshad Jones

March 9th, 2017 at 2:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have agreed to an extension with safety Reshad Jones, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The new deal is worth $60MM over five years and contains $35MM guaranteed.

Jones originally planned to holdout through minicamp last summer in the hopes of landing an extension, but he eventually caved without a new deal being reached. Perhaps as a reward for that show of good faith, Miami is now making Jones on of the highest-paid safeties in the league despite the fact that he missed most of the season with a rotator cuff injury.

Jones, 29, had 51 total tackles, four passes defensed, one interception, and even half a sack in six games last season. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had him ranked as the third-best safety in the NFL during that six-game stretch with a strong 88.5 overall grade.

While Jones is under contract for the long haul, the Dolphins still need to worry about their other safety, Isa Abdul-Quddus. At present, it’s unclear if IAQ will be able to play in 2017 due to a neck injury.

Cardinals Sign K Phil Dawson

March 9th, 2017 at 2:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals have signed veteran kicker Phil Dawson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reports (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were talking. It’ll be a two-year deal for the special teamer, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals website (via Twitter).

Dawson, 42, represents a more experienced option than 26-year-old Chandler Catanzaro, who is now a free agent (the Cardinals non-tendered him yesterday). Dawson hadn’t missed a game during his four-year tenure with the 49ers, and despite getting up there in age, he hasn’t shown too many signs of decline. The veteran connected on 85.7-percent of his field goals last season, and he only missed one extra point in 34 attempts.

Meanwhile, Catanzaro took a step back in 2016. After connecting on 90-percent of his field goals the previous year, the former undrafted free agent saw the number drop to 75 percent this past season. The kicker also connected on 91.5-percent of his extra points – a mark that Dawson has reached in each of the past 11 seasons.

Dawson ranked sixth on our listing of the best available kickers.

Patriots Acquire TE Dwayne Allen From Colts

March 9th, 2017 at 2:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are trading for Colts tight end Dwayne Allen, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Patriots will be sending a fourth-rounder to the Colts in exchange for Allen and a sixth-round pick, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The deal has been confirmed by the Colts via press release.

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The deal, which had no prior buildup, comes as a complete surprise. The Patriots have now added one of the league’s best offensive tight ends and that presumably spells the end of Martellus Bennett‘s time with the team.

During his only season in New England, Bennett hauled in 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. Considering Allen’s catching ability, he should be able to easily slide in as the number-two tight end behind Rob Gronkowski. Of course, the team also heavily relies on two tight end-sets, so Allen should get plenty of looks, especially in the red zone. The team is also rostering tight end Matt Lengel.

Allen was ranked 41st on Pro Football Focus‘ listing of tight ends (Bennett, meanwhile, was ranked 10th). The veteran performed better in the receiving game, but he struggled in both run and pass catching.

Allen signed a four-year, $29.4MM deal with the Colts one year ago today. Now, he’s slated to serve out the rest of that deal in New England. Allen is set to carry a $5.937MM cap number in 2017, which shouldn’t be too much of a burden on the Pats given the amount of space they presently have to work with. The Colts will free up $2.9MM in cap space, but they’ll also be left with $3MM in dead money.

The Colts re-signed fellow tight end Jack Doyle this week, making Allen somewhat expendable. The team will presumably be seeking a third tight end, as Erik Swoope is currently slotted as the backup.

Now, Indianapolis can redirect that money elsewhere. They have serious needs on the defensive line and they also have free agents of their own to still address, including versatile defensive back Darius Butler.

Photo via PFR on Instagram.

Saints To Sign Larry Warford

March 9th, 2017 at 2:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have agreed to sign free agent guard Larry Warford, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a four-year deal worth $34MM ($17MM guaranteed), reports Rapoport (via Twitter).

New Orleans was also in the running for Kevin Zeitler, a sure sign the club was hoping to improve the interior of its offensive line. Given that quarterback Drew Brees is on the shorter side, keeping him away from interior pressure is key, and a central factor in why the Saints have always invested in guard play. Warford will slot in at right guard opposite former first-round pick Andrus Peat, with Max Unger at center.

Warford, 25, is a former second-round pick, and though he’s been a full-time starter for the entirety of his career, he’s never been able to match the production exhibited during his rookie campaign. In 2016, for example, Warford started 15 games for the Lions and graded as the league’s No. 20 guard, per Pro Football Focus. That’s solid production, to be sure, but not evident of the elite level of talent Warford displayed in 2013.

Detroit was hoping to retain Warford, who ranks as PFR’s No. 4 free agent guard and No. 21 free agent overall. Instead, the Lions have now lost Warford and aren’t likely to re-sign fellow free agent offensive lineman Riley Reiff. Detroit hasn’t stopped paying for offensive lineman, however, as the team made Ricky Wagner the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle yesterday.

Warford’s addition in New Orleans likely signals the end of veteran Jahri Evans‘ run with the Saints. Evans, who had spent 11 season with New Orleans, only plays right guard, so he probably wouldn’t make sense even as a backup option.

Jaguars Re-Sign Bryan Walters

March 9th, 2017 at 2:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bryan Walters‘ contributions over the past two years enticed the Jaguars to keep him for at least one more. The Jags signed the veteran wide receiver to a one-year deal that stands to be worth as much as $2.3MM if incentives are met, Mike Kaye of First Coast News reports (on Twitter).

The deal includes a second-year option, per Kaye. The 29-year-old Walters came to Jacksonville from Seattle in 2015 having totaled less than 100 career receiving yards. He’s gone for 599 in his two Jags seasons, hauling in 24 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns last season as an auxiliary target.

Buccaneers Re-Sign S Chris Conte

March 9th, 2017 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bucs are re-signing safety Chris Conte to new extension, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

“[I’m] Excited to be a part of what we’ve got building,” Conte told Auman.

Last year, Conte re-upped with the Bucs on a one-year, $3MM deal, his second consecutive one-year pact. This time around, he’ll get to take his coat off and stay a while.

In 2016, Conte had 64 total tackles and two interceptions. The advanced metrics weren’t crazy about him, however. He ranked as the No. 88 safety out of 89 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus. His career-low 42.0 overall score was weighed down by dreadful marks for run defense and by only slightly less dreadful marks for coverage and pass rush. In his previous two years with Tampa, he earned scores of 64.6 and 75.3.

Despite Conte’s re-signing, the Buccaneers are likely still in the market for safety help. Keith Tandy is projected to start at one spot after playing well down the stretch in 2016, but Tampa Bay needs to acquire another solid defensive back. They’ve been linked to free agent J.J. Wilcox, who reportedly has mutual interest in coming to town.

Dolphins To Sign Anthony Fasano

March 9th, 2017 at 2:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have reached an accord with free agent tight end Anthony Fasano, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The Titans were reportedly interested in re-signing Fasano, whose second Tennessee campaign featured him grading out as Pro Football Focus’ best run-blocking tight end. He paired with Delanie Walker to give the Titans two top-15 PFF tight ends, making Tennessee the only team to have two such players grade this high. As a receiver, 2016 marked Fasano’s worst season. In Mike Mularkey‘s run-first offense, Fasano caught just eight passes for 83 yards — each stat representing a career-low figure.

While the Giants and Jets were also eyeing Fasano, he’ll instead head to Miami, where he played from 2008-12. The Dolphins recently lost Dion Sims to the Bears, so Fasano will play the in-line tight end role in Adam Gase‘s TE-friendly offense, allowing Julius Thomas to flex out wide. Fasano ranked as PFR’s 7 No. free agent tight end.