2017 April - Pro Football Rumors

Restricted Free Agent Deadline Passes

April 21st, 2017 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets with rival clubs has come and gone. After 4pm ET/3pm CT, all of the league’s outstanding RFAs were left with no real choice but to sign tenders with their respective teams.

Redskins running back Chris Thompson was among the more notable names left in limbo, though he did not receive much in the way of interest and signed his one-year tender just prior to the deadline. Buccaneers defensive end Jacquies Smith did draw interest when he met with the Niners last month, but they ultimately did not present him with an offer sheet. With the deadline in the rear view mirror, the Bucs know for certain that he’ll be back in the fold. They’re eager to see what he can do after he missed most of the 2016 season with a torn ACL injury.

Although the RFA market isn’t typically full of excitement, we have had some major developments on that front in recent weeks. Bills running back Mike Gillislee appears to be on his way to the rival Patriots and Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, who recently signed his tender, could still be dealt to the Saints.

Bills Claim S Trae Elston Off Waivers

April 21st, 2017 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Both defensive backs waived by the Browns on Thursday have now been claimed. The Bills have been awarded safety Trae Elston, per a club announcement.

Elston entered the league as a UDFA last year with the Saints. He missed final cuts and went on to have a practice squad stint with the Bucs before joining Cleveland’s active roster. After some roster reshuffling at the end of the year, he wound up signing back with Cleveland as a reserve/futures player before his Thursday release.

The Ole Miss product, known for his hard-hitting style, didn’t suit up for any regular-season games as a rookie.

Jaguars Claim S Tracy Howard Off Waivers

April 21st, 2017 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars claimed safety Tracy Howard off waivers, per the NFL transactions wire. Howard was waived by the Browns on Thursday.

Howard, 22, caught on with the Browns last spring as an undrafted free agent from Miami. He appeared in all but one of their games and worked mostly on special teams, playing nearly 42 percent of snaps and returning seven kicks. Howard also saw a decent amount of action defensively (25.2 percent of snaps), and totaled 16 tackles.

The Jaguars presently have a boatload of safeties under contract with Tashaun Gipson (another former Brown), Barry Church, James Sample, Peyton Thompson, Jarrod Wilson, and Akeem Davis also on the depth chart.

Cowboys WR Shaquelle Evans Suspended

April 21st, 2017 at 3:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys wide receiver Shaquelle Evans was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season, per a league announcement. Evans violated the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.

You may remember Evans as a notable Jets draft bust during John Idzik‘s tenure as GM. The 2014 fourth-round pick was placed on injured reserve in August of his rookie season, ending his first campaign before it could begin. After he healed from the shoulder injury, he was unable to make the Jets’ 53-man roster and he was cut loose in September 2015.

Evans came to the Cowboys on a January practice squad deal and was already viewed as a longshot to make the roster. This could effectively shut the door on Evans’ 53-man chances.

Malik Hooker Gets Medical Thumbs Up

April 21st, 2017 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Ohio State safety Malik Hooker. The results of his Combine recheck are in and things went about as well they could, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hooker is healing well and there are no questions about his long-term health heading into the draft.

Hooker has been unable to participate workouts for teams prior to the draft due to a surgically repaired labrum and hernia. Still, Hooker is regarded as the best safety in this year’s class and is widely viewed as a top ten pick. Both the Bears at No. 3 and the Titans at No. 5 are potential landing spots. Our latest mock draft has Hooker going No. 6 overall to the Jets.

Hooker started only one year in college but scouts believe that he has some of the highest upside of any player in this year’s draft. Now that his medical recheck came back OK, he’s still likely to be the first safety off the board, keeping himself ahead of LSU’s Jamal Adams.

As a redshirt sophomore, Hooker had seven interceptions and returned three of those for touchdowns.

Raiders Want Marshawn Lynch Resolution Before Draft

April 21st, 2017 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie says he wants to know if Marshawn Lynch will be a member of the Raiders before the draft gets underway (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal).

“At some point, you’d like to know. Prior to the draft is that point,” McKenzie told reporters on Friday.

This jibes with a report from earlier this week indicating that Oakland might put a draft day deadline on a potential deal. If Lynch is not wrapped up by the time the Raiders are on the clock at No. 24, they may jump at a running back they like. If they make that kind of investment in the position, then they’re probably going to steer away from Lynch.

A trade has been expected between the Seahawks and Raiders, but before a deal can be consummated, Lynch and Oakland must agree on a reworked deal. Lynch’s current contract calls for a $9MM salary and the Raiders are unwilling to shell out that much for the veteran running back. Mutual interest has been brewing for some time between the Raiders and Lynch, but the Raiders will have plenty of younger and cheaper running backs to choose from in this year’s star-studded class.

Lynch turns 31 on Saturday.

Eagles Notes: McGloin, Wentz, Draft

April 21st, 2017 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

This year, Eagles player personnel vice president Joe Douglas and de facto general manager Howie Roseman are teaming up to run the draft, as Les Bowen of The Philadelphia News writes. “Since he’s been here, have we done everything that I wanted to do? No. Have we done everything that he wants to do? No. But have we done everything that’s right for the Philadelphia Eagles? Yes,” Roseman said. Earlier this week, both men spoke highly of controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon.

Here’s more from Philly:

Matt McGloin‘s one-year deal with the Eagles is worth $800K, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). The quarterback gets $775K of that sum from his base salary plus a $25K workout bonus and no guaranteed money. “Moxy” currently projects to be the third QB on the Eagles’ depth chart behind starter Carson Wentz and primary backup Nick Foles, but the Eagles could conceivably use a late pick on another signal caller in the upcoming draft. It’s also not a given that they’ll carry three QBs on the 53-man roster in the fall.
The Eagles will listen to what Wentz has to say about certain prospects, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. “If there’s any player on our roster that has insight into a guy in free agency or the draft, it’s part of our information gathering,” Roseman said. “Certainly, it’s no different with Carson. If he has insight because he worked out with a particular guy or knows a guy from college, then we want that information. But that’s not unusual just to him.” This offseason, Wentz worked out in California with several draft prospects, including Cooper Kupp, Chad Hansen, Mack Hollins, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, so he might be able to give the front office some extra scouting material.
Mike Kern of the Daily News advocates for the Eagles to take running back Christian McCaffrey at No. 14 overall. He also pitches the unorthodox idea of the Eagles going for tight end O.J. Howard if he falls that far, but that would be a surprise given that they already have Zach Ertz at TE.

NFL Draft Rumors: Panthers, McCaffrey, Redskins

April 21st, 2017 at 12:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman believes that there are “half a dozen” three down backs to be had in this year’s draft and estimated that RB is one of the strongest groups, along with defensive end and secondary positions (link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer). When talking to reporters today, the GM was asked he considers Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey to be one of those six players.

“He can run it. He can catch it. I guess that’s three downs. [McCaffrey] has certainly shown he can carry the load at Stanford,” the GM said.

There has been lots of talk about Carolina targeting a running back at No. 8 overall. Leonard Fournette has been the popular prognostication for the Panthers there, but McCaffrey might also be in the mix. Then again, if Gettleman sees four other tailbacks as well-rounded players, then he might be willing to hold off on addressing the position. Beyond Fournette and McCaffrey, there are also standouts like FSU’s Dalvin Cook, Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara, and Texas’ D’Onta Foreman to consider.

Here’s the latest draft buzz:

The Redskins are smitten with Temple linebacker Haason Reddick, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) hears. Washington currently picks at No. 17 overall, so Miller believes that acquiring him would require the team to trade up.
USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson didn’t take a visit with the Patriots, but there’s been contact between the team and the player, Doug Kyed of NESN tweets. The Patriots may have to get back into the first round in order to get in the mix for him, however. As of this writing, the Pats’ first selection doesn’t come until the third round (No. 72 overall). Jackson rates as the 37th best player on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board and some draft analysts have him up even higher.
Two weeks ago, Falcons coach Dan Quinn put Mizzou’s Charles Harris and Kansas State’s Jordan Willis through a workout side-by-side (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

Patriots, Saints Continue To Talk Malcolm Butler Trade

April 21st, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints and Patriots expect to continue exploring a Malcolm Butler trade, but the two sides simply might not be able to agree on trade compensation, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). JLC suggests that the Patriots’ demands for Butler could be altered by a Jimmy Garoppolo trade, but it’s not clear if that comes from first-hand knowledge of team thinking or if that is just speculative.

A deal could be hard to swing since it would likely require the Saints to pay Butler like a top cornerback and sacrifice significant draft compensation. Meanwhile, this is a strong class for cornerbacks and the secondary as a whole. The Patriots have been wheelin’ and dealin’ this offseason, but ultimately they have the option of standing pat and retaining Butler at a $3.91MM salary for the 2017 season. The Patriots are still open to a deal, as today’s report indicates, but they’re not necessarily motivated sellers and they won’t take pennies on the dollar.

The Patriots might place a draft-day deadline on talks as they may not be interested in taking on 2018 picks as compensation. That means the Butler-to-the-Saints saga (at least, for 2017) could soon be put to rest in a matter of days.

Poll: Where Will Reuben Foster Be Drafted?

April 21st, 2017 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

Every year, we see high-end NFL Draft prospects slide as the draft approaches. As talented as he is, we have to wonder if Thursday’s report of Reuben Foster‘s failed drug test from the combine will affect his stock.

From a talent perspective, there’s reason to believe he could go within the top 10. Our first mock draft had Foster going No. 8 overall to the 49ers in a projected draft day trade with the Panthers. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper says he would give the Titans an “A” grade if they were to select him No. 5 overall. The Alabama star is also Todd McShay of ESPN.com‘s ninth-ranked prospect. The Niners and Titans aren’t the only potential landing spots this high in the draft. The Bengals could consider Foster at No. 9 overall since newly-signed inside linebacker Kevin Minter is only under contract for one season. There’s also the possibility of teams trading up to nab Foster and clubs like the Saints, Cardinals, Colts, and Redskins could be among those with interest.

On the other hand, there’s all of the red flags to consider. Foster had shoulder surgery in February and some teams could be wary of how that will hold up in the long term. His argument with a hospital worker at the combine also didn’t do him any favors and portrayed him as something of a loose cannon. The failed drug test is now the latest piece of bad publicity to emerge, though the linebacker is insistent that he did not purposely dilute his sample. Instead, he says that he over-hydrated in order to combat a stomach bug and also keep his weight up for when it came time to step on the scale.

All things considered, do you see Foster going in the top 10? Cast your vote below.