2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons Interested In TE Ed Dickson?

March 4th, 2018 at 5:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons are being “associated” with Panthers free agent tight end Ed Dickson, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Atlanta is likely on the lookout for a veteran tight end after releasing Levine Toilolo last week. Toilolo played roughly 40% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps in 2017, but spent the majority of that time as a blocker. Dickson isn’t quite the run-blocker that Toilolo is, per Pro Football Focus, but he grade as the single-best pass-blocking tight end in the league a season ago.

Dickson, 30, didn’t play a large receiving role during his first three years with the Panthers, but an injury to starting tight end Greg Olsen allowed Dickson to play on 80% of Carolina’s offensive plays last season. While he wasn’t a world-beater, Dickson did manage 437 yards and a touchdown, solid numbers considering he’d managed just 370 receiving yards from 2014-16.

While it’s unclear if the Panthers have interest in re-signing Dickson, head coach Ron Rivera recently implied Dickson would hit the open market, per McClure.

Latest On Free Agent Cornerback Market

March 4th, 2018 at 4:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s a quick look at the 2018 free agent cornerback market:

Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson is expected to be the Raiders‘ No. 1 free agent target, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.net. Johnson is not expected to be retained by Los Angeles after it acquired fellow defensive back Marcus Peters from the Chiefs last month. After receiving the franchise tag in each of the past two seasons, the 28-year-old Johnson will finally hit the open market as one of the league’s top free agent corners. Oakland, meanwhile, is looking for a veteran corner to pair with 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley, who barely played during his rookie campaign. The Raiders have already released one starting member of their secondary in David Amerson, and figure to do the same with Sean Smith.
While the Raiders have interest in Johnson, another Bay Area team — the 49ers — is also expected to pursue the free agent corner, as Pauline reports in a separate piece. San Francisco ranked just 28th in pass defense DVOA a season ago, and are not expected to re-sign its top cornerback in Dontae Johnson. Thus, the 49ers not only have a clear need atop their secondary depth chart, but have gobs of cap space: at nearly $70MM, San Francisco currently ranks fifth in available cap room.
If the Raiders miss out on Johnson, they could turn their attention to Eagles free agent CB Patrick Robinson, per Pauline. Robinson has played outside corner in the past, but posted arguably the best season of his career as Philadelphia’s slot cornerback in 2017. T.J. Carrie, who saw the majority of the slot action for the Raiders last year, is an unrestricted free agent, so the 31-year-old Robinson would make for a ready-made replacement. The Eagles, notably, have interest in re-signing Robinson, while Pauline reports the Cardinals could also make a bid.
The Jets hope to acquire two starting cornerbacks this offseason, but they’re “not close” to re-signing internal option Morris Claiborne, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Gang Green also has interest in Johnson, but most in league circles believe he will end up with Oakland or San Francisco, per Pauline.

Eagles To Release DL Vinny Curry?

March 4th, 2018 at 4:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles are expected to release defensive lineman Vinny Curry, but could attempt to restructure his contract before making the cut official, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (all Twitter links). Meanwhile, other NFL clubs are expressing interest in trading for Curry, per Rapoport.

Philadelphia, of course, is coming off a Super Bowl title, but now faces an offseason of cost-cutting. Releasing Curry represents the first of those moves, as parting ways with the veteran defender will clear his $9MM base salary from the Eagles’ 2018 books. However, $6MM worth of Curry’s prorated bonus money will now immediately accelerated onto Philadelphia’s salary cap, leaving the club with a net savings of $5MM.

For most teams, a $5MM cap savings would represent a drop in the bucket, but it’s a critical total for the Eagles, who were a projected $10.41MM over the cap before cutting Curry. Philadelphia will still be over the cap following Curry’s release, so more transactions — which could potentially include cutting wide receiver Torrey Smith or trading backup quarterback Nick Foles — are likely on the table.

Curry, 29, played the most defensive snaps of his career (576) of his career in 2017, and saw the third-most playtime among Eagles defensive lineman. While Curry managed only three sacks, he posted 28.5 quarterback pressures and graded as the NFL’s No. 21 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Curry excellent marks for his run defense.

Philadelphia, though, has cheaper options along its defensive line. Brandon Graham will earn just $8MM in base salary in 2018, the final year of his contract, while Chris Long will collect only $2.25MM. And the Eagles used their 2017 first-round pick on edge rusher Derek Barnett, who is under team control through at least 2020 at cost effective rates.

Given his track record and his ability to slide to defensive tackle in sub packages, Curry should be able to generate a market in free agency. He’ll be aided by a weak free agent defensive end class, as well as the fact that he won’t factor into the 2019 compensatory pick formula now that’s been released.

Latest On Cardinals’ Free Agent WRs

March 4th, 2018 at 4:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Two Cardinals free agent wide receivers are already drawing interest around the league: nine clubs are eyeing Jaron Brown, while seven teams have interest on John Brown, according to Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter link).

A number of clubs consider Jaron Brown a potential No. 2 wide receiver who can also play special teams, per Jurecki. Brown, 28, posted the best season of his career in 2017 by registering 31 receptions for 477 yards and four touchdowns. He’d previously been a key special teams player for Arizona, but as his role in the Cardinals’ offense grew, his ST playtime decreased. Last year, Brown played on only a third of Arizona’s special teams snaps, a career low.

John Brown, meanwhile, is coming off the worst season of his NFL tenure, as injuries limited him to just 10 games in 2017. During that time, Brown managed only 21 receptions for 299 yards and two scores. As recently as 2015, however, the now 27-year-old Brown put up 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s now finally healthy, per Jurecki, meaning it shouldn’t be a surprise if clubs see Brown as an upside play.

PFR Originals: 2/25/18 – 3/4/18

March 4th, 2018 at 3:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective NFL roster. We covered two organizations last week:
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Oakland Raiders
The NFL has now announced the 2018 compensatory selections and used a coin flip to settle a tie between the 49ers and Raiders, so the Complete 2018 Draft Order is now available.
A number of selections have been already been dealt, and you can keep track of them by bookmarking our list of 2018 Traded NFL Draft Picks.

Browns Tried To Trade For Robert Quinn

March 4th, 2018 at 3:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers weren’t the only team that tried (and failed) to trade for Rams edge rusher Robert Quinn. The Browns also attempted to land Quinn, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, but both Tampa Bay and Cleveland ultimately lost out to the Dolphins, who acquired the veteran defensive end last week.

The Browns own the most draft capital of any club in the NFL, so they likely could have topped any offer made by the Dolphins. Cleveland owns nine picks inside the top 150, while Miami sent fourth- and sixth-round picks to Los Angeles in exchange for Quinn and a sixth-rounder. However, the Browns only offered a fifth-round selection, tweets Laine.

Cleveland, notably, also possesses the most cap space in the league, meaning it could easily fit the remainder of Quinn’s contract on its books. Quinn, 27, is due roughly $24.377MM over the next two seasons.

In 2017, the Browns 17th in adjusted sack rate, 21st in sacks, and 23rd in pressure rate, and while Myles Garrett clearly fills one defensive end spot, Quinn would have joined a Cleveland edge rushing group that also includes Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib, and Nate Orchard. As he will with the Dolphins (and would’ve with the Buccaneers), Quinn will now shift back to a 4-3 scheme after spending last with the Rams in a 3-4 front.

Browns Open To Saquon Barkley At No. 1

March 4th, 2018 at 2:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is “firmly in the mix” to be selected by the Browns with the first overall pick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Indeed, Barkley would likely be Cleveland’s choice if the draft occurred today, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Barkley is fresh off dominating the NFL’s scouting combine, as he ranked in the 96th percentile or greater among halfbacks in the 40-yard dash, bench press, and vertical jump. He also topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his three seasons with the Nittany Lions, and reached the end zone 43 times over his final two collegiate years.

Selecting Barkley at No. 1 overall would mean the Browns would likely select a quarterback at No. 4, and Cleveland reportedly likes Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield “a lot,” per Garafolo. Of course, if the Browns don’t select Mayfield — or another signal-caller –with the first overall selection, there’s no guarantee their preferred option would be available three picks later. However, given the small three-space gap in their first-round slots, the Browns would be assured of landing one of Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, or Josh Allen at No. 4.

As Rapoport notes, a running back has not been drafted first overall since the Bengals took Ki-Jana Carter — like Barkley, a Penn State alum — in 1995. Running back has become something of a devalued position, especially contractually, but Barkley would be entitled to a $8.2MM annual salary if selected at No. 1. That figure would immediately place Barkley among the top-three highest-paid running backs in the NFL.

Cowboys Won’t Tender RFA FB Keith Smith; Falcons Have Interest

March 4th, 2018 at 1:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys will not tender an offer to restricted free agent fullback Keith Smith, but they are open to re-signing him on a multi-year extension, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. However, the Falcons also have interest in signing Smith to a free agent deal, reports D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

An original round RFA tender — which wouldn’t have netted Dallas any draft pick compensation had Smith inked an offer sheet with another club — is expected to be worth $1.908MM. Smith only played on 12% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps in 2017, so that figure was untenable. But a multi-year deal could offer Smith financial guarantees (which the RFA tender does not) and keep his 2018 cap charge to a minimum, aiding Dallas’ books.

As Archer details, the Cowboys have used a similar strategy with restricted free agents in the recent past. In 2016, Dallas tendered safety Jeff Heath at the original round level, but subsequently replaced that one-year salary with a four-year, $7.671MM extension. The year prior, punter Chris Jones had already signed his RFA tender when Dallas worked out a three-year, $4.2MM deal.

Smith, for his part, appeared in all 16 games for the second consecutive season, but wasn’t a large part of the Cowboys offense, as he totaled only five total touches (all receptions). However, the 25-year-old Smith was a key factor on Dallas’ special teams unit: he finished sixth in Cowboys special teams snaps, and ranked second on the club with 10 ST tackles.

The Falcons, meanwhile, have ranked among the top-five NFL teams in fullback usage in each of the past two seasons. Patrick DiMarco played 31% of Atlanta’s offensive snaps in 2016 before signing with the Bills the following offseason, while Derrick Coleman saw time on roughly 22% of the team’s plays last year.

Bucs Explored Trade For DE Robert Quinn

March 4th, 2018 at 1:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers looked into trading for defensive end Robert Quinn before the Rams dealt him to the Dolphins, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The Rams eventually landed a 2018 fourth- and sixth-round picks in exchange for Quinn and a 2018 sixth-rounder. Tampa Bay, however, only offered a fourth-round choice, tweets Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.

While the Bucs weren’t able to land Quinn, there interest denotes a clear need to add pass rushers this offseason. As I noted when assessing Tampa Bay’s most pressing roster needs, the Buccaneers finished dead last in sacks (22), adjusted sack rate, and pressure rate in 2017, leading the club to replace former defensive line coach Jay Hayes with Brentson Buckner.

Tampa Bay needs to address the interior of its defensive line after releasing Chris Baker (and have already been linked to free agent Dontari Poe), but if the team wants to add reinforcements on the edge, it won’t have many options on the free agent market. Demarcus Lawrence and Ezekiel Ansah will be taken off the board by franchise tags, leaving the Buccaneers to peruse second-tier defensive ends such as Adrian Clayborn, William Hayes, Trent Murphy, and Julius Peppers.

NFC Notes: Jerry Jones, Landry, Bruce Allen

March 4th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will testify before commissioner Roger Goodell and other owners at an appeal hearing tomorrow in Palm Beach, Florida. Jones is appealing the commissioner’s decision to assess him more than $2MM in legal fees stemming from the federal court case with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Jones’ opposition to Goodell’s contract extension.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, the fact that Jones is testifying before Goodell means that Goodell has not exercised his right to designate the appeal to someone else, even though not doing so creates obvious conflict of interest concerns. In Florio’s estimation, Jones has strong arguments against fee-shifting for his threat to sue the league with respect to Goodell’s extension, as he never actually followed through with the threat. His arguments against fee-shifting with respect to the Elliott matter is a different story, as the Cowboys clearly provided substantial assistance to Elliott in his battle with the league.

Florio says Goodell has final and binding power to resolve the amount of legal fees to be paid, but the resolution granting him that power does not expressly grant him the authority to also answer the threshold question of whether club behavior triggered a repayment obligation. Goodell presumably will take the position that he has final say in that regard, too.

As the Goodell v. Jones saga drags on, let’s take a look at several more notes from the NFC:

Although the Bears have interest in Dolphins wideout Jarvis Landry, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune does not believe the team should trade for him. Biggs says Landry does not give Chicago the dynamic, speedy playmaker that it needs, and given that, it would cost too much in both dollars and draft capital to land him.
Although most mock drafts have the Lions selecting a RB or DE with their first-round draft pick, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com says the team could target an OLB like Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds to boost its pass rush. Rothstein says the Lions could indeed target a RB with its first draft choice, but it’s a deep class for RBs, and the better value might be found on Day 2.
John Keim of ESPN.com says it is unclear whether Redskins team president Bruce Allen is on the hot seat, though Keim believes he should be. Nonetheless, Keim thinks it would take a really bad season, and not just a mediocre one, for Allen to be shown the door.
Mike Jurecki of 98.7FM says the Cardinals would like to retain linebacker Josh Bynes as a depth option, but he believes the team will target a linebacker at some point in the draft and/or look to the UDFA market to grab an LB (Twitter link).
Earlier today, we took a look at potential QB plans for the Vikings and Giants.