2017 May - Pro Football Rumors

NFC West Rumors: Lacy, Seahawks, Rams

May 15th, 2017 at 1:42pm CST by Zachary Links

There were rumblings earlier this offseason about Eddie Lacy‘s conditioning, but the running back made weight on his first scheduled weigh-in of the offseason, per his agents (on Twitter). By weighing in at 253 pounds (under the 255-pound requirement), the Seahawks running back will earn a $55K bonus on his free agent deal. From here on out, he’ll weigh in every month from now through the end of the calendar year and make $55K by coming in under the max. To cash in on all of these weight-driven incentives, he’ll need to weigh 250 in June, July and August and 245 from September through December.

Lacy reportedly weighed in at 267 pounds during one of his free agent visits and while that hasn’t been confirmed by the player, the Seahawks apparently felt a need to keep him on track throughout the year. Lacy signed with Seattle this offseason on a one-year, $5.5MM deal with $3MM fully guaranteed. If Lacy can keep the extra weight off while moving the chains, he’ll could be in line for a more lucrative deal next spring.

Here’s more out of the NFC West:

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians believes that Blaine Gabbert can get a “fresh start” with the Cardinals, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. Gabbert, a former first-round pick, is 9-31 in his NFL career as a starter. Arians argues that a lack of stability has hurt his progress. In six seasons, Gabbert has played for seven head coaches and six different offensive coordinators on two teams. He’ll now try to make things work with a third team after signing with the Cardinals this month.
The Rams want Tavon Austin to play a DeSean Jackson-type role in the new offense, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Austin is facing a critical year as the team can cut him loose next year with just $5MM in dead money. The Rams gave him a fat four-year, $42MM extension just weeks before the start of the 2016 season, but he’ll have to show something to the new staff if he wants to play out that contract.
The 49ers tried to trade into the middle of the first round to select Reuben Foster. Luckily for them, Foster continued to slip and SF managed to get him with a late first round pick acquired during the draft.

East Rumors: Brady, Patriots, Bills, Taylor

May 15th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Recently, Tom Brady was asked if he is annoyed that Bill Belichick hasn’t traded Jimmy Garoppolo and his non-answer might raise some eyebrows.

“When you’re a member of a team sport, the best guy plays,” the Patriots quarterback told Ian O’Connor of ESPN.com. “So I always want to make sure I’m the best guy, and I give our team a great chance to win. But if you’re ever not [the best guy], part of being a great teammate is letting the other guy do that, as well. Competition is what has always driven me. I’ve never been one that was hand selected, to be this particular player. … In high school, college, professionally, I think the greater the competition, the more that it really allows me to dig deep and bring the best out of me.”

Of course, this is a far cry from Brady saying that he’s peeved at the team for not trading the backup QB, but he didn’t shoot the notion down when given the opportunity either. The Patriots were at least mulling a Garoppolo trade at some point this offseason, but it seems that they set an extremely high asking price because they ultimately did not want to part with him.

Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East:

In an interview on Monday, Bills GM Brandon Beane said Tyrod Taylor will probably be the team’s starting QB, but he cautioned that he’s “not in business of handing out jobs on May the 15th,” (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak).
Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas cleared a giant hurdle this weekend when the team declined to sign veteran Travis Coons after a weekend tryout. “I try not to focus on the competition,” Rosas told James Kratch of NJ.com. “I just try to focus on how I can improve myself and be the best specialist I can be.” For now, Rosas stands as the only kicker on the team’s roster.
The Jets auditioned running back Stevan Ridley last week.

Q&A With Bills’ McDermott, Beane

May 15th, 2017 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are in the midst of a 17-season playoff drought, but the new regime is hopeful that things will be turning around fast. New head coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane have some history together thanks to their time with the Panthers and the duo is ready to change the culture in Buffalo. During a conference call with Peter King of The MMQB, both men discussed their shared past and the future of the franchise. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

Is Buffalo’s quarterback of the future on the roster now?

McDermott: He is, in Tyrod Taylor. And then when you look at the competition we have behind him. We’ve drafted Nathan Peterman, we’ve added T.J. Yates, and then Cardale Jones in the draft a year ago. I’m not sure there is a team out there that has the depth that we do at the quarterback position. So we feel good about that. We’re anxious to see how Tyrod develops in his third year as a starter in a new system, a system that he has some familiarity with in terms of [new Buffalo offensive coordinator] Rick Dennison’s system in Baltimore a few years back with Gary Kubiak.

Beane: We have open competition everywhere. Obviously it is a quarterback league, but with Tyrod … He has some tools, his speed, he is tough to game-plan for. He has some strengths and he is still a young starter in this league. It is going to be a competition for every position, to let them fight it out and earn the right to start on this team.

How do you both feel about being tied at the hip?

Beane: That was part of the attraction of the job. There were a lot of attractions, but I don’t have to get to know the guy I am going to be working side by side with personally, away from the office. I already know that. I have that box checked. I know that this guy is going to have my back, and he knows I am going to have his back. And that’s a huge thing in this business. We know how important it is to trust each other. It’s so funny when people ask, Who’s got control? Who has the 53-man roster? Honestly, we don’t care about it. We are going to make decisions together and we are going to talk about everything that affects the roster, the staff, and that is what’s exciting. You don’t get that everywhere. You read about dysfunction in various organizations, and that is part of the reason I am here. I did not want to leave Carolina for something I was unsure of. This seemed like as sure a thing as there can be in the NFL, to partner up with Sean.

McDermott: Sometimes you get a chance and you have to take it. I wanted him to know that there is a soft landing on this side because of his familiarity with me. If we are tied at the hip, there is no one I would rather be tied at the hip with than Brandon.

Why should a Bills fan believe in you both?

Beane: We have to keep the same mindset we’ve had our whole career. Keep our head down, work on ourselves, learn our strengths, learn our weaknesses, and then obviously know our division. And then one of the first things you want to do for success is win your division. We feel bad for the city of Buffalo. These fans have had to endure a 17-year deal, but we’re focused on being part of the solution with the whole organization to get it right.

Chargers Release G Orlando Franklin

May 15th, 2017 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have released offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). After drafting two guards, the Bolts apparently felt that Franklin was too pricey to keep. The Chargers will save $3MM against the cap by releasing Franklin, but they are still on the hook for $3.5MM in guaranteed cash.

Franklin, 29, came to the Chargers as a free agent prior to the 2015 season. The veteran had three seasons to go on his five-year, $35.5MM pact but his release doesn’t come as a huge surprise after two lackluster seasons. In 2015, he missed six games due to injury. Last year, he appeared in every regular season contest, but he graded out as one of the seven worst qualified guards in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Chargers are now committing to a youth movement on the offensive line with draft picks Forrest Lamp (second round) and Dan Feeney (third round) set to take on prominent roles. Los Angeles is also expected to find a starting spot for offensive lineman Max Tuerk who missed his entire rookie season.

Jaguars Cut Louis Nix, Akeem Davis

May 15th, 2017 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars announced they have signed defensive tackle Kelvin Maurice and safety Jarrod Harper. To make room on the roster, the Jaguars cut safety Akeem Davis and defensive tackle Louis Nix.

Maurice and Harper were tryout players at the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp over the weekend. Maurice, a Nebraska product, became a full-time starter for the first time in his final season on campus. He finished out 2016 with 39 total tackles and four sacks, a performance that earned him some attention from at least one NFL team. Harper, meanwhile, is a defensive back out of West Virginia. Both players stood out in a group of 39 tryout players vying to make the 90-man roster.

Nix, 26 in July, appeared in four games for the Giants in 2015. The well-traveled defensive tackle spent time on the Jaguars’ practice squad last year but couldn’t pass muster with the team this time around. Davis, 27, got the bulk of his NFL experience with the Redskins in 2014 when he appeared in 13 games. After suiting up for three different clubs in 2015, the safety appeared in two games for the Jaguars last season.

NFC North Notes: Asiata, Lions, Vikes, Bears

May 14th, 2017 at 8:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Asiata‘s visit with the Lions occurred this weekend, but the team is not ready to offer the former Vikings starter a contract yet, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Birkett adds that the workout went well for the first-time UFA running back, but the Lions are currently going with their holdovers. Detroit’s present backfield houses Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington and Zach Zenner. The Lions did not draft a running back. An Asiata pact would seemingly stand in the way of the Lions adding LeGarrette Blount. One of the suitors linked to the now-uniquely positioned free agent, the Lions have a need for a reliable runner after Abdullah has failed to stay healthy. The unavailability of he and Riddick, who is already a passing-down specialist, hurt the Lions last season. Asiata has not drawn any other known interest to this point.

Here’s more from Detroit and the latest from some of the Lions’ chief rivals.

Jarrad Davis will play middle linebacker and relegate Tahir Whitehead to the competition for one of the outside spots, Birkett notes. Whitehead led the Lions with 132 tackles last season — 45 more than any other Lion recorded in 2016 — but drew scrutiny from Pro Football Focus, which graded the veteran as its second-worst full-time linebacker. Davis played middle linebacker in each of the past two seasons at Florida and appears set to open there for the Lions, who also added Paul Worrilow to the equation there this offseason. Whitehead looks to be the frontrunner for one of the outside jobs in Detroit’s 4-3.
Brian Robison said he agreed to a restructured Vikings contract — one that amounts to a paycut in 2017, with his salary being slashed from $5.3MM to $3.9MM — not because the franchise forced him to but because it gives him an opportunity to play 2018 with the franchise. “No. 1 I didn’t have to take a pay cut. It was something I chose to do,” Robison said, per Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “With the Vikings, I thought it was a very complimentary deal both for myself and the organization. On the flip side of it, I got an opportunity to play an extra year here in Minnesota and gives me an opportunity to retire as a Viking and play my entire career in one uniform.” Now 34, the 11th-yaer defensive end is the Vikings’ longest-tenured player and is signed through 2018, and he plans to make that his final NFL season.
High-priced Lions guard T.J. Lang won’t join his teammates in workouts until training camp, Birkett reports. The former Packers Pro Bowler is recovering from a January hip surgery, which will shelve him for Detroit’s OTAs and minicamp.
The Bears are adjusting some of their quarterback coaching plan for rookie Mitch Trubisky, John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes, adding, however, John Fox won’t be thinking long-term when he decides who will start come September. Mullin writes that Mike Glennon‘s status as the current starter, one he held at this juncture in the 2015 Buccaneers’ offseason, won’t deter the Bears from starting Trubisky on Day 1 if he’s ready. Trubisky is viewed as more of a project than Jameis Winston, but the Bears’ investment is quite similar to the Bucs’ then.

AFC Rumors: Patriots, Johnson, Browns

May 14th, 2017 at 6:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

An interesting what-if scenario emerged after the Patriots signed center David Andrews to a three-year extension. The UDFA success story, though, may have seen his Patriots path unfold differently if the team’s most recent draft had gone in another direction. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports the Pats came close to drafting Indiana interior lineman Dan Feeney in the third round, but the Chargers stepped in and made the decision to bring the ex-Hoosiers blocker to Los Angeles with the No. 71 overall pick. New England, which held the No. 72 choice, then traded down and ended up selecting Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers at No. 83. Reiss notes Andrews’ three-year extension may not have come to fruition if Feeney was in the fold.

Here’s more from the AFC.

More from the defending champions: their recent extension for Super Bowl hero James White comes with some incentives that may be difficult to reach. White’s three-year, $12MM extension can max out at $15MM via playing-time and accomplishment bumps. White can earn $250K extra per season by playing in 50 percent of the Pats’ offensive snaps, with another $250K available to him if he suits up for 60 percent of their plays, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Should White gain 1,000 total yards in a season, he would earn a $250K bonus. Another $250K would come his way if he gains 1,200 yards in a campaign. However, the 25-year-old Wisconsin product amassed a career-high 717 yards from scrimmage last season — one that mostly didn’t feature a healthy Dion Lewis. Plus, the Pats brought in Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead this offseason and could still have LeGarrette Blount in the fold after being the first team in 17 years to use the May 9 tender. White has maxed out at 38 percent of the Pats’ plays, so eclipsing 50 or 60 percent will be difficult going forward.
A training camp return remains the goal for 13th-year Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson. The inside ‘backer said Sunday from a NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway, per Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star, he’s still on track to be ready by camp. “I’ll go back Texas after we break OTAs, get my body right,” the 34-year-old Johnson said. “That’s the plan. Be ready for camp.” Johnson has now suffered two severe Achilles injuries in a three-season period. The Chiefs did not draft a linebacker until Round 5 (Ukeme Eligwe out of Georgia Southern), and although Johnson accepted a paycut this offseason, the Chiefs are still counting on him to return to his post on their starting defense.
Jabrill Peppers missed the first day of Browns rookie minicamp by not signing a participation waiver, which lets rookies practice without having signed their contract. The rookie safety could not be drug tested until he did. However, the Michigan product did sign it and joined his first-year peers on Saturday and said the delay did not stem from any attempt to avoid a drug test. “I don’t know why you think of me like that, but everyone is entitled to an opinion,” Peppers said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Peppers will enter Stage 1 of the NFL’s drug program after a diluted sample resulted in a failed drug test at the Combine.

Saints To Sign Clay Harbor, Khalif Barnes

May 14th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints are expected to sign tight end Clay Harbor and offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Monday, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Both Barnes and Harbor worked out for New Orleans during a weekend minicamp session.

Harbor, 29, spent most of the 2016 campaign with the Lions after being released by the Patriots in early October. In 15 total games last season, Harbor managed only three total targets, so he’s not a offensive threat. But Harbor would give the Saints another option as a blocking tight end, and can also chip in on special teams. At present, New Orleans’ tight end depth chart is comprised of Coby Fleener, Josh Hill, and Michael Hoomanawanui.

Barnes, notably, was signed four separate times by the Saints in 2016, but never actually appeared in a game for the club. The 35-year-old Barnes offers two attributes in spades — experience and versatility. In 11 seasons, Barnes has appeared in more than 150 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars and Raiders. Moreover, Barnes is able to play both inside and out, so he could act as a backup at up to four offensive line spots.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/17

May 14th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Rory Parks

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: WR Reggie Davis, DL Taniela Tupou

Chicago Bears

Signed: WR Titus Davis
Waived: WR Levonte Whitfield

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: T Victor Salako
Waived/injured: QB Jerod Evans

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed: TE Phazahn Odom (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

6 Key Stories: 5/7/17 – 5/14/17

May 14th, 2017 at 3:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Patriots deploy tender on LeGarrette Blount. Thinking outside the box as usual, New England utilized a May 9 tender on Blount, ensuring that it will reap a compensatory pick if Blount signs elsewhere. Blount, who had reportedly been nearing a deal prior to the tender, has until July 22 to reach a deal with another club. If he doesn’t sign by then, the Patriots control his rights. Rival teams are now trying to “navigate” the compensatory pick process in order to land Blount.

Josh Gordon denied reinstatement. The NFL refused Gordon’s attempt to re-enter the league, but the Browns receiver is eligible to re-apply in the fall. Gordon, 26, originally applied for reinstatement in March. Although he hasn’t played sine 2014 (and hasn’t been effective since 2013), Gordon may be welcomed back by Cleveland if Roger Goodell & Co. allow his reinstatement. Gordon’s agent terminated their relationship several weeks ago, so Gordon is currently without representation.

Bills find a new general manager. Having fired Doug Whaley one day after the conclusion of the draft, Buffalo hired former Panthers executive Brandon Beane as its new GM. Beane has a working history with Bills head coach Sean McDermott, and is expected to have final say over the club’s 53-man roster (although he and McDermott will work closely on personnel issues). The Bills have also poached ex-Dolphins staffer Joe Schoen and named him assistant general manager, while incumbent contract negotiator Jim Overdorf could be on the chopping block.

Victor Cruz market heating up. While Cruz had garnered scant free agent interest since being released by the Giants earlier this year (only the Panthers had set up a visit), the veteran wide receiver was linked to three clubs in the span of two days last week. The Jaguars and Bears are organizing meetings with Cruz, while the Ravens also have interest in the 30-year-old wideout.

Cardinals cut ties with Daryl Washington. Unlike Gordon, Washington was granted reinstatement, but he won’t be playing for Arizona in 2017. The Cardinals officially released Washington, who hasn’t been on the field since 2013. While Arizona had interest in retaining Washington, the two sides apparently couldn’t agree on a deal. Washington, 30, had been due $2.9MM next season.

Michael Floyd finds a landing spot. More than two months after the opening of free agency, Floyd finally landed a contract, agreeing to a one-year pact with the Vikings. The new contract is reportedly worth $1.5MM, but Floyd can earn up to $6MM via incentives. Floyd, who was charged with DUI last year, is likely to serve a suspension during the 2017 campaign.