HEADLINES

Month: March 2017

Ravens Release Elvis Dumervil

March 8th, 2017 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Once again, Steve Smith is breaking news. The Ravens are releasing linebacker Elvis Dumervil, according to the retired wide receiver (on Twitter). The team has since confirmed the news.

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By releasing Dumervil, who had one year left on his contract, the Ravens opened up $6MM in cap space. However, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome says he has not closed the door on a possible return (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer).

Dumervil, 33, played in only eight games last year but still managed three sacks. Before that half-season, he missed just one game out of 48 possible appearances from 2013-15 and totaled 32.5 sacks. In 2014, he had 17.5 sacks on the season.

Dumervil now joins a linebacker market that includes names such as Dont’a Hightower, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter, Perry Riley, and Lawrence Timmons. Given his age and injury history, he may have to settle for a one-year deal with a modest base salary.

The Ravens will presumably add some reinforcement at the position to replace Dumervil. The team now has six linebackers under contract in Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, Kamalei Correa, Matt Judon, Albert McClellan, and Za’Darius Smith.

Redskins Apply Second-Round Tender To Chris Thompson

March 8th, 2017 at 1:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Redskins don’t want to chance letting another team pounce on their passing-down running back, placing a second-round RFA tender on Chris Thompson, John Keim of ESPN.com reports. Thompson will make $2.74MM as part of this transaction.

Thompson is a restricted free agent despite being drafted in 2013 because of service-time issues. His fifth year will become a contract year instead of the customary fourth season for most players selected in the second through seventh rounds of their respective drafts. Thompson teamed with Robert Kelley to form the Redskins’ backfield duo down the stretch.

A former Florida State ball-carrier, the 26-year-old Thompson established a new yards from scrimmage career high in 2016, gaining 705 yards. He scored five touchdowns — three on the ground, two receiving — and was a key performer on third downs. With Washington’s backfield corps still unsettled as far as the run-downs player, Thompson can be expected to reprise his role in 2017. The team extending this protective tender only reinforces his value to the team.

Free Agency Rumors: Vikings, Okung, Bills

March 8th, 2017 at 1:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Rounding up the latest free agency news:

  • The Vikings are expected to express interest in offensive tackle Russell Okung when free agency starts, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. This doesn’t come as a big surprise since Okung has been previously linked to Minnesota.
  • The Bills were in play for Brian Hoyer, but he will not be signing with Buffalo after the team retained Tyrod Taylor, sources tell ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (Twitter link). The Jets and 49ers have strong interest in the veteran QB.
  • The 49ers are now among the teams in the mix for fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. The Ravens would like to keep him, but they are expecting to get outbid for the former fourth-round pick. The Bills are said to be in the lead for him and the Browns are also in pursuit.
  • The Raiders working hard today on bringing back right tackle Menelik Watson, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. If he reaches the open market, however, the Broncos are among the teams that will pursue him, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets.
  • The Raiders are trying to get a new deal done with inside linebacker Perry Riley, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.

Jets Showing “Lots Of Interest” In Nick Perry

March 8th, 2017 at 12:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a systematic roster purge created some cap room for the Jets, they are showing “lots of interest” in using some of it on Nick Perry. The sixth-year edge player and the Jets could strike a deal before free agency officially opens on Thursday afternoon, Connor Hughes of NJ.com reports.

Hughes iterates the Jets are not the only team in the running for Perry, who is PFR’s No. 1-rated edge defender in free agency. The Jets are the first team, though, to emerge as a Perry suitor. With the likes of Chandler Jones, Jason Pierre-Paul and Melvin Ingram being franchise-tagged, however, Perry (27 in April) should be in position to command a quality deal in his second foray onto the open market.

Perry signed a one-year pact with the Packers last year and responded with an 11-sack contract campaign. The former first-round pick had just 12.5 sacks combined in his previous four seasons in Green Bay.

The Jets are up to $33MM-plus in salary cap space after sitting over the cap in late February. They don’t have a lot of edge-rushing depth, with young players Lorenzo Mauldin and Jordan Jenkins residing on the outside in a rebuilding defense. They combined for just five sacks in 2016.

 

La Canfora’s Latest: Seahawks, Campbell

March 8th, 2017 at 12:47pm CST by Ben Levine

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes that the Seahawks are zeroing in on offensive linemen and running backs. However, La Canfora notes that the team won’t overpay for the positions.

The team is “high” on Packers guard T.J. Lang but isn’t expected to offer anything “crazy.” Meanwhile, besides Adrian Peterson, the Seahawks are “monitoring” LeGarrette Blount and Benny Cunningham.

Let’s take a look at some other notable tidbits from La Canfora’s latest column…

  • The Jets, Browns, Ravens and Redskins are among the main teams seeking help at safety. Tony Jefferson is atop our list of the top available safeties, followed by Duron Harmon.
  • La Canfora says he wouldn’t be surprised if Calais Campbell lands with either the Buccaneers or the Jaguars. The Jaguars were previously linked to the Cardinals defensive end, while the Buccaneers were reportedly eying free agent Chris Baker.
  • The writer isn’t convinced that there’s a team besides the Browns that would be willing to pay receiver Terrelle Pryor more than $10MM a season.

Jaguars In On A.J. Bouye, Barry Church

March 8th, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Holy moly, Jacksonville is not playing around this offseason. The Jaguars appear in the mix for some of this year’s best unrestricted free agents, including cornerback A.J. Bouye, guard Kevin Zeitler, defensive lineman Calais Campbell, and safety Barry Church, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Their interest in Campbell and Zeitler was reported earlier this week.A.J. Bouye (Vertical)

Bouye is ranked as my No. 1 free agent this offseason based on earning power and the rest of the guys in this group are not far behind. Zeitler (No 5 on the list), Campbell (No. 9), and Church (No. 34) would all cost the Jaguars a pretty penny. Of course, there is no realistic scenario that has Jacksonville signing all four players, but their interest in this bunch is noteworthy. Armed with upwards of $75MM in cap space, the Jags could certainly come away with one or two high-end free agents.

When free agency opens on Thursday, Zeitler could set a new guard standard at $12MM per year. Bouye’s market is also looking like it will yield a $12MM+ per year contract, even though he only has one strong year on his resume. Church already has a number of teams interested in him and should get more than $5MM per season.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/17

March 8th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Vikings, 3 Others Pursuing Domata Peko

March 8th, 2017 at 12:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

After playing 11 years with the Bengals, Domata Peko could be heading elsewhere. A healthy market exists for the 32-year-old defensive tackle, with the Vikings, Eagles, 49ers joining the Bengals in pursuit of Peko, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.

Tomasson reports the Vikings have reached out to Peko’s representatives regarding a possible free agent pact. Peko’s Bengals tenure overlapped with Mike Zimmer‘s time in Cincinnati, and Tomasson notes the Samoan is a favorite of the Minnesota coach. The Vikings have brought former Bengals Terence Newman and Emmanuel Lamur to the Twin Cities under Zimmer, and the team has some uncertainty at defensive tackle. Linval Joseph‘s counterpart, Sharrif Floyd, saw injury derail 15 games of his 2016 season.

The Eagles could be in the market for a new running mate for Fletcher Cox, with Bennie Logan taking part in the legal tampering period as a first-time UFA. The 49ers are planning to convert to a 4-3 scheme under new DC Robert Saleh, and although they have 5-technique ends DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, the rebuilding team could be hunting for depth on a team that doesn’t have much. The 49ers, though, may need Peko least among his primary suitors after adding Earl Mitchell as well.

Peko did not record a sack last season but registered a career-high five in 2015. However, he’s proven incredibly durable during his lengthy NFL run, having started in 16 regular-season games in each of the past seven seasons. He only graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 106 interior defender last season, playing 593 snaps. The Bengals have Pat Sims and Andrew Billings accompanying Geno Atkins on their defensive tackle depth chart.

Patriots Have Not Discussed Adrian Peterson

March 8th, 2017 at 12:28pm CST by Zachary Links

This is not shaping up to be a great day for Adrian Peterson. The Patriots have not yet discussed signing him, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The source added that it is safe to assume the Pats won’t be pursuing him either. Adrian Peterson (vertical)

A number of teams have been connected to the running back, but at this point it doesn’t seem like anyone is falling over themselves to sign him. Peterson’s interest level in the Raiders is not being equally reciprocated by Oakland, the Seahawks are not presently interested, and the Vikings have yet to submit a follow-up offer to him after rejecting his high-priced option. Now, we can add the Patriots to this lukewarm pool of possible, but far from definite, suitors.

LeGarrette Blount is scheduled to become a free agent tomorrow and the Pats may be the market for a running back if they do not re-sign him.

No Progress For Steelers, Markus Wheaton

March 8th, 2017 at 12:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers moved quickly to lock up the core members of its skill-position battery, one that again was ravaged by injuries come playoff time. But the team has not progressed much on a re-up for Markus Wheaton, one of the injured performers, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets the wideout will likely hit the free agent market on Thursday.

Wheaton stands to join a host of complementary receivers on a crowded wideout market. The tier below the high-end talents includes pass-catchers like Robert Woods, Kendall Wright, Kamar Aiken and Victor Cruz, among others. PFR’s Zach Links rates Wheaton as the No. 8 best available wideout — moving up after the deals for Brandon Marshall and Pierre Garcon emerged. Wheaton falls into this category, having been the Steelers’ No. 2 wideout for multiple years alongside Antonio Brown. 

A fifth-year target, Wheaton is coming off a forgettable contract year. Pittsburgh placed Wheaton on IR with a shoulder injury in November. He played in just three games last season, joining Ladarius Green, Martavis Bryant and ultimately Le’Veon Bell as projected Steelers starters who were unavailable for various reasons in the AFC championship game. Between 2014 and ’15, though, the former third-round pick averaged 696.5 yards. Wheaton averaged 17 yards per catch in 2015.

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