Minor NFL Transactions: 7/7/17
Friday’s minor NFL moves:
- The Colts have waived wide receiver Trey Griffey off injured reserve, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Indianapolis first waived Griffey, who’s the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., three weeks ago, but he reverted to IR because no one claimed him. Trey Griffey signed with Indianapolis in May as an undrafted free agent from Arizona, where he hauled in 23 receptions for 382 yards and two touchdowns last season.
- The Raiders announced that they’ve waived linebackers Andy Mulumba and Neiron Ball and long snapper Anthony Kukwa. The team designated Ball as waived/injured. He and Mulumba have banked NFL experience, though neither has logged game action since 2015. Mulumba, whom the Raiders signed in January, has a longer track record than Ball, having appeared in 22 games (three starts) with the Packers from 2013-15. As a rookie in 2015, when the Raiders used a sixth-round pick on him, Ball started in two of six appearances and picked up a sack. He didn’t play last season after the Raiders waived/injured him prior to Week 1. As for Kukwa, he just signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent from Lake Erie College back in May.
Offseason In Review: Arizona Cardinals
Last year, things didn’t exactly go according to plan for the Cardinals as they finished out 7-8-1, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. With little salary cap room to work with, it’s not exactly clear if the Cardinals have put themselves in position for a big turnaround.
Notable signings:
- Chandler Jones, LB: Five years, $82.5MM. $21MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Jermaine Gresham, TE: Four years, $28MM. $13MM guaranteed.
- Antoine Bethea, S: Three years, $12.75MM. $2MM guaranteed.
- Phil Dawson, K: Two years, $6MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Jarvis Jones, LB: One year, $2.25MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Karlos Dansby, LB: One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed.
- A.Q. Shipley, C: Two years, $3.5MM. $725K guaranteed.
- Frostee Rucker, DL: One year, $1.08MM. $80K guaranteed.
- Andre Ellington, RB: One year, $905K. $80K guaranteed.
- Tony Bergstrom, C: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Blaine Gabbert, QB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Jeremy Ross, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Aaron Dobson, WR: One year, $615K.
- Jumal Rolle, CB: One year, $615K.
The Cardinals knew they’d have to pony up a massive deal when they acquired Chandler Jones via trade from the Patriots. This year, they applied the franchise tag to Jones but the two sides shook hands on a massive extension just days later. Jones’ new deal makes him the third-highest paid 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL, trailing only Von Miller and Justin Houston in terms of yearly average. When it comes to average guarantees per year, he’s in second place with $6.2MM, ahead of Houston. It wasn’t cheap to lock up Jones, but he is one of the league’s very best edge defenders and the market is only growing for those players. If Jones continues on this trajectory, it will all be worth it for Arizona. 
Considering the Cardinals’ cap situation, their four-year, $28MM deal for tight end Jermaine Gresham was a bit perplexing. Before the free agent market officially opened, I had Gresham ranked as the ninth-best option available. The 28-year-old (29 in June) had 37 catches for 391 yards last year, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of blocking. The good news is that the 29-year-old will only carry a $3.75MM cap number in 2017, but his contract doesn’t look so great after that. In 2018, the Cardinals are saddled with a $7.25MM cap number and releasing him ($9.25MM) isn’t really a viable option. In 2019, they’ll be stuck with $3.5MM if they release Gresham.
Free agent addition Antoine Bethea projects as the Cardinals’ starting strong safety, but he may have to duke it out with the team’s second round pick (more on him later). The soon-to-be 33-year-old did well for himself on this deal and the Cardinals are hoping that he will continue to be an above-average playmaker in the secondary. Bethea has started all 162 games he’s played since entering the league and he has 19 career interceptions to his name.
The Cardinals added two notable free agents to the linebacking group in Karlos Dansby and Jarvis Jones. Dansby returns to the Cardinals after spending the first six years of his career with them, plus the 2013 season. Dansby night not be a top 15 type like he was in 2013 and 2014, but he’s still quite productive even at his advanced age. The linebacker, 36 in November, had upwards of 100 tackles last year and finished out as Pro Football Focus’ 46th best linebacker out of 87 qualified players.
Jones, a former first round pick, has only posted six sacks in four NFL seasons. He recorded a career-high 43 tackles in 2016, however, and started nine games for the Steelers. He has not lived up to his draft status, but he is still a solid run defender and he could still have some untapped potential. With talented veterans in front of him, the Cardinals will only be using Jones on a limited basis, a role that might suit him well.
Not long ago, Andre Ellington was the main rusher in Arizona. Now, the emergence of David Johnson has pushed him down the pecking order. The Cardinals were exploring the idea of moving Ellington to wide receiver this year, but they abandoned that midway through the offseason. It’s still a good bet that Ellington will make the 53-man cut as a reserve behind Johnson.
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NFC West Notes: Rams, Donald, Cardinals
Rams defender Michael Brockers fully supports Aaron Donald’s desire for a raise and has no problem with the possibility of him holding out in training camp.
“At the end of the day, that’s our brother,” Brockers told SiriusXM. “We’ll go to war with him and for him. We respect any decision. He deserves it. You look at the record, being the most dominant defensive tackle in the league, and he’s just making all these phenomenal numbers and stuff like that. And, obviously, pay the man. Obviously. He’s put in him some major work for this team and I think he deserves it.”
Donald is slated to have a $3.225MM cap number in 2017 before his salary jumps to $6.892MM in 2018 under the fifth-year option. A new deal for Donald will likely reset the market for defensive tackles and he wants it now, not next year. The 26-year-old has managed 28 sacks during his first three years in the league and last year graded as the NFL’s No. 1 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Despite losing defensive tackle Calais Campbell and safety Tony Jefferson this offseason, the Cardinals are still the team with the best chance of challenging the Seahawks for the NFC West crown, ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia opines. The Cardinals still have question marks, including their passing game and pass protection, but the playmaking ability of David Johnson gives them a chance at making some noise in the division.
- Was the Alex Smith trade a good deal from the 49ers‘ perpsective? Smith is not an elite quarterback, but he has become a great game manager with Kansas City and the Niners watched Colin Kaepernick decline from 2013 onward, Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Smith’s completion percentage was also much higher than Kaepernick’s over the last few years. Still, the trade worked out for the Niners, Lynch argues, because the second-round pick they got in the deal was flipped in order to net five draft picks instead. One of those picks turned out to be Carlos Hyde, the team’s top running back.
- Will the Seahawks miss the playoffs in 2017? Click here to tell us which 2016 division winners will fall short this year.
Poll: Will Darrelle Revis Play In 2017?
Darrelle Revis is currently working out in south Florida with an eye on playing this season. Trouble is, the $6MM owed to him by the Jets comes with offset language, meaning that he’ll effectively be playing for free if he signs for a penny less than $6MM. 
At one point in time, Revis was one of the league’s very best cornerbacks. Unfortunately, that changed during his second stint with the Jets in 2015. In ’15, Revis was solid but unspectacular. The version of Revis that we saw in 2016 could not be counted upon as a regular starter. Throughout the season, there were rumblings that Revis was dogging it and the film seemed to back it up. There were a number of plays where Revis wasn’t going all out to make the tackle and he was routinely getting torched on routes that he should have been able to keep pace with.
Needless to say, no one wants to pay Revis more than $6MM for the 2017 season. Even if a contending team were to lose a starting corner to injury in training camp, it would be hard to see anyone offering more than a few million for the veteran’s services. So, what now? It’s possible that Revis, who has already made a boatload of money in the NFL, will cave and agree to play for free.
Alternatively, he could use a creative workaround to get on the field while still cashing his Jets check. As suggested yesterday by Mike Florio of PFT, Revis could sit out the 2017 regular season and sign with an NFL club just before the start of the playoffs. This way, Revis can earn his $6MM, have a chance at capturing another Super Bowl championship, and audition for his next contract. Revis would also have the added benefit of taking the field in January with fresh legs.
One way or another, do you see Darrelle Revis playing in the NFL in the 2017 season? Click below to cast your vote and back up your position in the comment section.
Will Darrelle Revis Play in 2017?
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Yes 53% (515)
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No 47% (451)
Total votes: 966
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Giants, Marshall
The Redskins are still feeling the effects of their free agency misses on the salary cap, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Tandler writes. Washington is carrying $9.8MM in dead money for players who are no longer with the team with most of the cash coming from four defenders signed as free agents in 2015 and 2016. Cornerback Chris Culliver ($2.5MM) and defensive lineman Stephen Paea ($2.5MM) lead the way in dead money cap hits. Culliver was supposed to be the Redskins’ No. 1 corner, but injuries limited him to just six games in 2015. Paea, meanwhile, lasted only one season and wound up as a cut late in the preseason last year. Money owed to David Bruton ($1.7MM) and Ricky Jean Francois ($1MM) also continues to linger on the Redskins’ cap.
This year, the Redskins gave significant multi-year deals to linebackers Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain and they’re hoping that both deals will pan out better than the aforementioned contracts. On the plus side, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor stands as their biggest free agent expenditure, and he is under contract for just one season. If the former Browns standout doesn’t pan out in D.C., he won’t be lingering on the cap beyond 2017.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Do the Giants have the best receiving trio in the entire NFL after adding Brandon Marshall? Todd Archer of ESPN.com believes that’s the case, particularly since Eli Manning likes to throw a lot and the opportunities will be there for Odell Beckham Jr., rising sophomore Sterling Shepard, and Marshall to shine. Marshall’s production took a step back in 2016, but we’ll soon find out whether that is due to aging or if the Jets’ offensive quagmire of last season is to blame.
- Do the Cowboys still have the division’s best offensive line after losing Doug Free (retirement) and Ron Leary (free agency)? Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News says they do, and it’s hard to argue. The Cowboys’ offensive line was stellar last season and they shouldn’t miss a beat as La’el Collins takes on the right tackle role. One thing to watch on the O-Line, however, will be the left guard competition between Chaz Green and Jonathan Cooper.
- New Redskins senior vice president of personnel Doug Williams indicated that he will be on equal footing with coach Jay Gruden and team president Bruce Allen when it comes to roster decisions.
Extra Points: Contracts, Fisher, Cowboys
Quarterback may be the most important position in sports, and the NFL features more teams than starting-caliber signal-callers, observes Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Those factors should put QBs in advantageous positions when it comes to negotiating contracts, but Corry argues that their salaries aren’t high enough. When the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers signed a five-year, $110MM deal to become the league’s highest-paid player in 2013, the salary cap was $123MM. The cap has risen 35.77 percent since then, going to $167MM, but the league’s new benchmark deal – the five-year, $125.05MM pact the Raiders’ Derek Carr inked last month – is only 13.7 percent higher than Rodgers’. But if the Redskins’ Kirk Cousins reaches the open market next winter, that could be a true game changer for QB salaries, posits Corry. Cousins might end up with a deal worth $30MM per year as a free agent, which would set the standard for the extensions Rodgers and the Falcons’ Matt Ryan could sign next offseason.
- As is the case with Cousins, the 2014 draft class could dramatically influence earning power throughout the league, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. A few members of the class, including Carr, have already inked rich contracts this offseason. More high-paying accords are on the way, notes Graziano, who points to 2014’s star-studded group of receivers (Odell Beckham Jr. leads the way), elite defenders Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, running back Devonta Freeman and cornerback Malcolm Butler, among others, as players in line for enormous paydays in the near future.
- While the unemployed Jeff Fisher would like another head coaching job, he hasn’t done enough to deserve another opportunity, says Don Banks of Patriots.com (video link). Fisher, whom the Rams fired last season after a 4-9 start, wouldn’t be the type of hire capable of energizing a fan base, notes Banks. The 59-year-old hasn’t coached an above-.500 team team since 2008, when he was with the Titans, and hasn’t been at the helm of a club that won a playoff game since 2003. Further, with a combined 165 losses in his 22 years with the Titans and Rams, Fisher’s tied with Dan Reeves for the most defeats of all-time.
- Among last year’s playoff teams, the Cowboys have experienced the most roster turnover this offseason, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Dallas has lost 27.5 percent of snaps, including 21.4 percent of quality snaps, since 2016, according to Fitzgerald. Ronald Leary, Doug Free, Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, Barry Church, Terrell McClain, J.J. Wilcox and Jack Crawford were among the Cowboys’ notables who either went elsewhere as free agents or retired. There aren’t any indispensable players in that group, but having to replace all of them at once is a tall task, opines Fitzgerald.
AFC Notes: Bengals, Raiders, Broncos
You’re not likely to see the Bengals drop Brandon LaFell from the roster, Katherine Terrelle of ESPN.com tweets. While there is lots of young talent at wide receiver, cutting LaFell would require a $3MM+ dead money hit just after re-signing him this year. He also has a strong mentor/mentee relationship with A.J. Green that coaches do not want to bust up. The Bengals have Green, speedy rookie John Ross, Tyler Boyd, LaFell, and fourth-round pick Josh Malone as their top five receivers. Youngsters Cody Core, Alex Erickson, Jake Kumerow, and Chris Brown are left to fight for a spot that may or may not be available.
More from the AFC:
- Raiders starting defensive lineman Jihad Ward recently underwent left foot surgery, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The procedure was minor and should keep Ward out until mid-August, adds Rapoport. The second-year man suffered the injury during practice on June 6, per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a rookie last season, Ward tallied 13 starts in 16 appearances, though Pro Football Focus gave his performance the worst grade among the NFL’s 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
- Receiver looks to be the most competitive position on the Broncos’ depth chart, observes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Given that the Broncos are nine deep at wideout, head coach Vance Joseph has described the position as “crowded.” That could spell doom for Cody Latimer, who has totaled just 16 receptions since Denver chose him in the second round of the 2014 draft. While Latimer has emerged as a reliable special teamer for the Broncos, his roster spot is in jeopardy suggests Legwold.
- Earlier Thursday, we rounded up the latest from the AFC East.
Chiefs Waive Marqueston Huff
The Chiefs have made their fourth roster move of the day, waiving safety Marqueston Huff with a non-football injury designation, reports Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Earlier Thursday, the Chiefs signed two players, linebacker Josh Mauga and safety Steven Terrell, and waived punter Josh Monday.
Huff wasn’t long for Kansas City, which signed the three-year veteran in March. The Chiefs were the fourth NFL team for the 25-year-old Huff, who entered the league in 2014 as a fourth-round pick of the Titans. Huff spent the first two years of his career in Tennessee, where he totaled 30 appearances and one start, before logging time with the Jaguars and Ravens in 2016.
Huff only saw action in Baltimore last year, when he appeared in 11 games and served almost exclusively as a special teamer, tallying 223 snaps with that unit. He played a meager 11 defensive snaps with the Ravens, who issued a tender to the then-restricted free agent in early March but withdrew the offer a week later.
Ravens Haven’t Contacted Gary Barnidge
There was upheaval at tight end last month in Baltimore, which released Dennis Pitta after he suffered yet another hip injury and saw the NFL hand a one-year suspension to Darren Waller. Consequently, the Ravens could stand to acquire help at the position, but it doesn’t look as though that aid will come in the form of free agent Gary Barnidge, the top tight end on the market.
Barnidge told Glenn Clark Radio on Thursday that the Ravens haven’t reached out to him, saying (via Callie Caplan of the Baltimore Sun): “They know who to contact, who to call. I just know we haven’t heard anything yet, which is fine.”
PFR’s Dallas Robinson made a compelling case earlier this week for the Ravens to sign Barnidge, noting that their current tight ends carry significant risk.
Ben Watson, whom the Ravens signed as a free agent last offseason, missed all of 2016 after suffering a torn Achilles. That’s a difficult injury to come back from for anyone, let alone a 36-year-old. Injuries have also troubled Crockett Gillmore, who sat out 15 of the Ravens’ 32 games from 2015-16 and then missed minicamp last month on account of a hamstring issue. Maxx Williams isn’t the picture of health, either, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reported last week that knee trouble could force him to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. And then there’s a pair of unproven options in Nick Boyle, who has already racked up a couple PED suspensions during his two-year career, and undrafted rookie Ryan Malleck.
Considering both the lack of certainty among the Ravens’ tight ends and Barnidge’s quality production in recent years, it’s fair to suggest he’d be an upgrade for the club. Barnidge made light of his solid output Thursday.
“In the last two years with eight different quarterbacks, I was able to still put up really good numbers,” Barnidge said. “I was still one of the top tight ends in the NFL over a two-year period … I don’t think there’s any other guy that can say they’ve done that.”
While it’s concerning that the 31-year-old Barnidge has been on the open market since April – when one of the Ravens’ AFC North rivals, the youth-oriented Browns, released him – his numbers were indeed impressive over the previous two seasons. Barnidge broke out in 2015 with 79 receptions, 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, and though he didn’t come close to replicating those stats last year, he still posted respectable totals (55 grabs, 612 yards and two scores). Additionally, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Barnidge graded as Pro Football Focus’ best pass-blocking tight end in 2016. As Robinson pointed out, that aspect of his game could be especially useful to a Baltimore team that lost standout right tackle Ricky Wagner to the Lions in free agency.
Although the Ravens and Barnidge look like a logical match, it doesn’t appear there will be a union between the two. The Ravens could still use some of their nearly $6MM in cap space on another free agent tight end, though, with Ladarius Green, Jacob Tamme and Larry Donnell representing other notable unsigned options.