Extra Points: Cousins, Fitz, Bills, L. Green
Franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins has spoken highly of Redskins brass lately, but it remains doubtful that the two sides will agree to a long-term contract by the July 15 deadline, writes Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Cousins has little incentive to take Washington’s $20MM-per-year offer, observes Tandler, as he’s set to make a fully guaranteed ~$24MM as the team’s franchise player this season and could earn another $34MM in 2018 in the unlikely event it places the franchise tag on him again. Otherwise, Cousins could be in position next offseason to hit free agency and ink a lucrative contract with either the Redskins or someone else.
More from around the NFL:
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s one-year, $3MM deal with the Buccaneers could be worth up to $5MM, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). With Fitzpatrick now off the board, the only remaining free agent QBs who started a game in 2016 are Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III and Shaun Hill, notes Field Yates of ESPN (on Twitter). In case you missed it, Tampa Bay did not consider signing Kaepernick before it tabbed Fitzpatrick to serve as Jameis Winston‘s backup in 2017.
- The Bills made a few changes to their scouting staff Friday, most notably hiring former Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey as a senior college scout, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Hickey only lasted as Miami’s GM from 2014-15, but he previously worked in a scouting capacity for several years in Tampa Bay. Along with Hickey, the Bills added scouts Gerald Dixon, Doug Majeski and Brian Fisher, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The team dismissed all three last month, but they’ll return in newly hired GM Brandon Beane‘s front office.
- Speaking of the Bills, quarterback Tyrod Taylor has gotten off to a nice start in OTAs in new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison‘s system, says James Palmer of NFL Network (video link). Taylor is familiar with both Dennison and the Gary Kubiak-created system the Bills are using, as the passer studied it in Baltimore as Joe Flacco‘s backup from 2011-14 (Dennison was the Ravens’ QBs coach in 2014). Moreover, Kubiak has always regarded Taylor as a good fit for the system, per Palmer. That could bode well for Taylor as he enters a crucial season in Buffalo, which will have the opportunity to easily escape his contract next winter.
- Although injuries (especially to the head) have beset tight end Ladarius Green in recent years, he’s not planning to retire. After the Steelers released the 26-year-old on Thursday, a player Green spoke with told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that he’s hoping to catch on elsewhere as a free agent (Twitter link). Ankle and head issues limited Green to six games and 18 receptions in 2016, the first season of a four-year, $20MM contract.
West Notes: Broncos, Cardinals, 49ers
The Broncos entered the offseason with questions at two of the game’s most important positions – quarterback and left tackle – and that remains the case, writes Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. But general manager John Elway, who’s sticking with Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch under center and drafted ex-Utah left tackle Garett Bolles in the first round, expects the Broncos to return to the playoffs in 2017. “I like where we are. I like where we’ll be if we continue to work,” said Elway, whose club went 9-7 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Elway added that the Broncos are “a pretty good football team,” which led him to trade two draft picks and reduce his selection total from 10 to eight. “We had the meeting before the draft started … and we started counting numbers,” Elway explained. “It’s going to be hard to make our football team. We’ve got a lot of good football players, so that’s why we have to be that good in the draft because we’ve got to find guys that can come in and compete and have a chance to make our football team.”
Now the latest on a couple NFC West teams:
- Regarding his decision to accept a pay cut earlier this offseason, Cardinals cornerback and special teams standout Justin Bethel told Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic, “It’s called betting on yourself.” Bethel agreed to a reworked contract that hacked $2MM off his base salary for this season and erased the final year of his deal, 2018, which will give him an opportunity to hit free agency next March. In order to cash in, though, Bethel will need to be more of a defensive factor than he was last season, when he only saw action in 25 percent of snaps. Along the way, head coach Bruce Arians called Bethel a “failure in progress.” But Arians acknowledged last month that a broken foot may have held Bethel back, and the defender agrees. “Before I broke my foot, I thought I was going to come into the season and earn the starting job,” Bethel said. “I still had high hopes that I would be healthy by training camp. That wasn’t the case. I was just trying to make it through (the season). I knew I wasn’t healthy enough to play corner all the time.” Bethel and Arians are now “on good terms,” according to Bethel, who will get a chance to start opposite Patrick Peterson in 2017. With free agency looming, the upcoming campaign will be a make-or-break season for Bethel, opines Bickley.
- The 49ers have tabbed Ran Carthon as their new director of pro personnel, general manager John Lynch announced Friday. Carthon served in the same role with the NFC West rival Rams over the previous five seasons, before they dismissed him last month.
- In other 49ers news, the team worked out defensive lineman Carlos Wray on Thursday, tweets Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wray was among three defensive linemen whom the 49ers auditioned, along with the previously reported Kedric Golston and Cedric Reed. A former Duke Blue Devil, Wray signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent last spring, but they waived/injured him in July.
Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/17
The latest draft picks to sign their first NFL contracts:
- The Colts have signed third-round defensive end Tarell Basham, the 80th overall pick, meaning all eight members of their draft class are now under contract. Basham starred the previous four years at Ohio, where he amassed 38.5 tackles and 27 sacks, and could help upgrade a Colts pass rush that finished a mediocre 19th in sacks last season.
- The Bears have locked up second-round tight end Adam Shaheen, leaving first-round quarterback Mitch Trubisky as the only member of their five-pick class who hasn’t signed yet. Shaheen – formerly with Ashland – is one of three Bears picks who attended a small school, and plucking players from relatively anonymous institutions has led to criticism of general manager Ryan Pace. But Shaheen is a “special talent,” according to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com.
- A day after inking their top two picks to contracts, the Bills have signed their third selection, second-round offensive lineman Dion Dawkins (No. 63 overall). The former Temple Owl should be a factor on the right side of the Bills’ offensive line in 2017, perhaps as a Day 1 starter at tackle, after the team traded up to land him. The Bills’ veteran options at right tackle, Jordan Mills, Cyrus Kouandjio and Seantrel Henderson, have failed to impress on the field. Further, both Kouandjio and Henderson have dealt with off-field issues. Henderson will miss the first five games of the year on account of a suspension.
- Former North Carolina State safety Josh Jones has signed his deal with the Packers. Jones, the 61st pick, was one of two second-rounders for Green Bay in this year’s draft. The higher selection of the two, ex-Washington cornerback Kevin King (No. 33 overall), signed last week. Jones, who wrapped up his college career in 2016 with a 109-tackle, three-interception season, joins a safety corps that also includes Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Morgan Burnett. With Burnett scheduled to become a free agent next offseason, Jones could be the Packers’ long-term answer at strong safety.
- Seahawks third-rounder Nazair Jones, the 102nd pick, is now under contract. The former North Carolina defensive tackle, more of a run-stopping factor than a pass rusher, produced 22 tackles for loss and five sacks in three seasons with the Tar Heels. Jones is one of two interior D-linemen the Seahawks used a high pick on, as he followed second-rounder Malik McDowell.
- The Cardinals have signed fourth-round guard Dorian Johnson, the 115th pick. Johnson was a dominant guard at Pittsburgh, starting in 39 straight games and capping off his Panthers career in 2016 with first-team All-America honors. Arizona already has an established starter at Johnson’s college position, left guard, in Mike Iupati, but it’s not nearly as well off on the right. As of now, 2016 fifth-rounder Cole Toner is penciled in as the starter.
- One of Johnson’s college teammates at Pitt, offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty, officially became a member of the Giants on Friday. The 200th overall pick started at left tackle in each of his four years at Pitt, where he earned a first-team all-ACC nod last season. Bisnowaty is likely to end up on the right side in the pros, per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who notes that he has the ceiling of a low-end starter.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/19/17
Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Browns have claimed offensive lineman Chris Barker off waivers from the Patriots and waived defensive lineman Gabe Wright. Barker, whom the Patriots cut Thursday, appeared in six of their games from 2013-15. Wright, a fourth-round pick of the Lions in 2015, was in and out of the Cleveland organization last year after joining its practice squad in early September. He ultimately suited up for five of the Browns’ games and picked up four tackles.
- The Titans have signed a pair of players, wide receiver Darius Jennings and fullback Joe Bacci, and waived receiver K.J. Maye. Jennings spent time with three teams last year, though he didn’t see any regular-season action. As a rookie with Cleveland in 2015, he appeared in four games and caught 14 of 21 targets for 117 yards. Bacci went undrafted out of Central Michigan this year, while Maye went unpicked in 2016. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher was with the Giants last offseason, but they cut him in August and he landed on the Titans’ practice squad in December.
Browns Sign Caleb Brantley
The Browns announced Friday that they have signed sixth-round defensive lineman Caleb Brantley, the seventh member of their 10-player draft class to ink his rookie deal.
[RELATED: Browns Sign Myles Garrett]
While most low-round selections aren’t particularly noteworthy, that’s not the case with Brantley. Soon after the Browns used the 185th pick on the ex-Florida Gator, general manager Sashi Brown acknowledged that Brantley might not play a down for the team. At the time, Brantley was facing an assault charge for an incident that occurred in Gainesville, Fla., last month. Brantley was alleged to have punched a woman in a bar, causing dental injuries, but the charge against him was dropped Wednesday on account of “insufficient evidence,” and it turns out he was actually defending himself against an assault.
Now that he’s officially a member of the Browns, Brantley could prove to be a late-round steal for the club. Brantley had the potential to go as high as Round 2 before his legal troubles, after all, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote prior to the draft that he has the talent to become a “defensive force.”
Raiders Confident About Derek Carr Deal
Amidst whispers that Derek Carr is growing frustrated with the pace of contract negotiations, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie is adamant that things are fine between the team and its franchise quarterback. In an interview with 95.7 The Game, McKenzie reiterated that his relationship with Carr is still strong and expressed confidence in a deal coming together. 
“I see Derek every day. We have a great relationship and communicate very well,” McKenzie said (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com). “That’s not going to be an issue at all. As far as the contracts go, I don’t like discussing contracts outside these walls. I kind of keep that as my mantra, to keep that in house. But the bottom line is that we love Derek and we want to keep him. We’re going to everything to make sure this contract gets done.”
Carr is one of the game’s top quarterbacks and he’s likely looking for a deal that will reset his market as the position. The QB is happy being a Raider, but there are no indications that he will give the team a hometown discount on an extension.
The Raiders will have Carr under club control through 2018 thanks to his fifth-year option, but going year-to-year after that point via the franchise tag would be costly and potentially contentious. Carr is eager to sign a new contract and the Raiders would like to lock him in place for years to come, so it seems like the odds of a deal getting done this year are still pretty high.
Bucs Didn’t Consider Colin Kaepernick
On Friday, the Buccaneers signed Ryan Fitzpatrick and the deal drew eye rolls from those who believe that the unemployed Colin Kaepernick is more deserving of a roster spot. Not only did the Bucs choose Fitzpatrick over Kaepernick, but it turns out that they did not consider Kaepernick for the No. 2 quarterback job at all, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2016 while Fitzpatrick tossed 12 TDs against 17 picks. Even the advanced metrics preferred Kaepernick as he earned a 61.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus, besting Fitzpatrick’s less atrocious 42.1 posting. Neither player set the world on fire last year, but by almost any measure, Kaepernick had the better year and his offense was by no means better than Fitzpatrick’s.
However, there are plenty of reasons why the Buccaneers probably went with Fitzpatrick without first mulling Kaepernick, and none of them pertain to Kaepernick’s social positions. Fitzpatrick was an above-average starter as recently as 2015 and he had two under-the-radar quality seasons before that with the Titans and Texans, respectively. Kaepernick, meanwhile, is now two years removed from being a respectable starter. There’s also the matter of playing styles to consider. Fitzpatrick is a pro-style quarterback who can fit the offense designed for Jameis Winston if he’s called upon. Kaepernick, however, would be better suited for a playbook with more designed runs and an offensive line that’s accustomed to the blocking schemes needed for a mobile QB.
The Bucs didn’t think about signing Kaepernick, but as we learned earlier this week, the Seahawks are taking a hard look at him.
Browns Sign No. 1 Overall Pick Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett is officially a member of the Browns. The No. 1 overall pick has signed his rookie deal, according to a team announcement. 
As dictated by his slot, Garrett’s four-year deal is worth $30.412MM with a hefty signing bonus of $20.258MM. The rookie will be well-compensated, but he’ll also be one of the position’s best bargains over the next four years if he is anywhere near as good as evaluators believe him to be. The market for defensive ends is presently sky-high with contracts exceeding $15MM per year for top earners like Muhammad Wilkerson, J.J. Watt, Olivier Vernon, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
The deal includes offset language, a source tells Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). This means the Browns can save some money if they wind up releasing the No. 1 pick at some point during his rookie deal. In that (unlikely) event, the Browns would get out of some of their obligation if Garrett’s signs with a new club. For example, if Garrett has $4MM in guaranteed money left on his contract at the time of his release and he signs with a new club on a $1MM deal, the Browns will only be on the hook for $3MM, with the new team making up the difference.
Garrett was the consensus top prospect in the 2017 draft for months, but the Browns tried to throw the football world a curve by giving some reporters the impression that UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky was a consideration on draft day. Ultimately, the Browns made the selection that was widely seen as a no-brainer. Garrett is believed to be about as much of a can’t-miss prospect as you can get in the draft and all signs are pointing to a Pro Bowl career in his future.
Garrett figures to be a Week 1 starter for the Browns at defensive end with second-year DE Emmanuel Ogbah at the other bookend.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Buccaneers Sign QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
One of the best quarterbacks left on the board is now spoken for. The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. It’s a one-year, $3MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The Buccaneers lost their Jameis Winston backup this offseason when Mike Glennon signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Bears. Fitzpatrick, who had a surprisingly strong 2015 season with the Jets, now becomes Tampa Bay’s new insurance policy under center.
While ’15 was a banner year for the bearded signal caller, 2016 was definitely a season to forget. Things got so bad in New York last year that the veteran found himself considering retirement after the season.
“Last year was the most difficult year for me,” Fitzpatrick said. “Not physically, just kind of mentally and emotionally. I had to take a step back and think about it. Is this something I still want to do? Football is something so ingrained in me, something I love doing and definitely something I want to do. I still want to compete and I still think I can contribute whether I am in a starting role or whatever capacity.”
Fitzpatrick, 35 in November, had a shaky grip on his starting job last year as he threw for 12 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. The year prior, however, Fitzpatrick threw for 31 touchdowns. If given the opportunity to get on the field, Fitzpatrick will try to channel the magic of his ’15 campaign. If he looks like the ’16 version of himself, then this might be his last stop in the NFL.
Packers, Saints Calling On C Cody Wallace
The Packers and Saints are among the teams inquiring on former Steelers center Cody Wallace, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, Wallace tells Fowler that he’s still rehabbing his knee injury, so it might be a little while before we see him sign.
[RELATED: Steelers Release TE Ladarius Green]
Wallace missed the entire 2016 season thanks to a complicated knee injury. Initially, he was believed to have hyperextended his bad knee. Later, it was found that he also suffered bone bruising. When the injury did not respond to treatment, the Steelers officially placed him on IR in November.
The former-fourth rounder has bounced around a bit during his nine-year career having also spent time with the 49ers, Lions, Jets, Texans, and Buccaneers. In 2015, he got a big opportunity in Pittsburgh when he started all 16 games in place of Maurkice Pouncey. Wallace was the Steelers’ fifth-lowest graded center in 2015, but he could still be a quality reserve for the Packers, Saints, or another team.