HEADLINES

Month: March 2018

Browns Sign QB Drew Stanton

March 25th, 2018 at 6:48pm CST by Micah Powell

The Browns secured the services of another quarterback on Sunday, as veteran Cardinals signal-caller Drew Stanton signed a two-year deal with the club, Mike McCartney, the player’s agent reports (Twitter link). 

The 10-year veteran did not take a formal meeting with the team. Instead, he ran into team brass by chance while the Browns were scouting on the West Coast. The informal run-in was enough to convince the club to go through with the two-year deal.

A backup to Matthew Stafford in Detroit, Andrew Luck in Indianapolis and Carson Palmer in Arizona, Stanton has been in the locker room with some of the game’s top quarterbacks. He will again serve as a backup, this time to Tyrod Taylor, who was traded to Cleveland from Buffalo earlier this month.

The move also provides quite the logjam at the position. Behind Taylor and Stanton, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan are also on the squad. The list is expected to expand to five after the NFL Draft next month, when the team is thought to be taking a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks.

Cowboys Close To Re-Signing OL Joe Looney

March 25th, 2018 at 5:25pm CST by Micah Powell

The Cowboys have been busy recently bringing in reinforcements for the offensive line and reportedly are close to deals with former Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and former 49ers lineman Marcus Martin. 

The team is also expected to keep some of its own offensive line, as it is close to re-signing veteran Joe Looney to a deal as early as Monday, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes.

After stints with the 49ers and Titans, Looney has found a home as a reserve lineman the last two seasons in Dallas. He has appeared in all 32 games since 2016, starting three, and play both guard positions and center. Moore also notes Looney is used in the team’s jumbo formation when it replaces a tight end.

Though he is not expected to serve as a starter up front, Looney is well liked by his teammates and is viewed as a good presence in the locker room who can also serve as a versatile role in a pinch.

 

Jets Rescind Offer To DT Ndamukong Suh

March 25th, 2018 at 4:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets have rescinded their offer to free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, owner Christopher Johnson told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link). New York was believed to have had the largest offer out to Suh.

Gang Green was a late entrant into the Suh sweepstakes, as the veteran defender was though to have narrowed his potential destinations to the Rams, Saints, and Titans. The Jets had the most cap space of any of the teams involved in the bidding, but Johnson said adding Suh “wasn’t in keeping with [the Jets’] long-term plans,” tweets Vacchiano.

Suh is now 31 years old, but he’s still a dominant player: he managed 20.5 pressures and and 4.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position while grading as the NFL’s No. 5 interior defender in 2017, per Pro Football Focus. He’s also incredibly durable, as he hasn’t missed a single contest since 2012. Last season, Suh played a whopping 883 snaps, the second-most of any defensive tackle in the league.

While the Jets were reportedly willing to offer Suh the most money, he was never certain to simply follow the dollars. The Rams, Saints, and Titans each made the postseason in 2017, while New York is still embarking on a rebuild, so Suh may forgo the largest contract offered in order to sign with a contender.

If he had signed with the Jets, Suh would have likely lined up as a 3-4 defensive end opposite Leonard Williams. If New York is still searching for more affordable options along its line, the club could hypothetically look at other free agents such as Alan Branch, Karl Klug, or Quinton Dial.

Latest On Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.

March 25th, 2018 at 4:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After witnessing star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. in a video which may have contained drug use, Giants owner John Mara doesn’t sound pleased with his club’s most high-profile player, and didn’t rule out the possibility of a Beckham trade.

“I can’t answer that one way or another,” Mara told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “We’re certainly not shopping him if that’s what you’re asking. But again, when you’re coming off a season where you’re 3-13 and played as poorly as we played, I wouldn’t say that anybody is untouchable.

“You always listen to those things,” Mara said. “But that’s not a scenario that I would like to see happen. I’m tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior and what the latest incident is. I think he knows what we expect of him. Now it’s up to him.”

While the Giants surely won’t release Beckham, Mara didn’t completely shut the door on the idea of dealing the 25-year-old, while Mara also said there is a “possibility” New York will allow OBJ to play out his rookie contract without an extension in 2018, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. Beckham will earn roughly $8.5MM during the upcoming season, while the 2019 franchise tag will likely cost ~$16-17MM.

Although the Giants seem frustrated by Beckham at the moment, his talent cannot be denied. From 2014-16, Beckham totaled 288 receptions, 4,122 yards, and 35 touchdowns, figures which rank first, second, and fourth, respectively, among wide receivers in NFL history during the first three seasons of their careers. In 2017, however, Beckham managed only four games before a fractured ankle ended his year.

PFR Originals: 3/18/18 – 3/25/18

March 25th, 2018 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Packers, Browns, Bucs, Cowboys Looking For Safeties

March 25th, 2018 at 3:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers, Browns, Buccaneers, and Cowboys are among the clubs searching for free agent safety help, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes in a wide analysis of what has been a stagnant safety market.

Safeties who still remain unsigned including starting options such as Eric Reid, Tre Boston, Kenny Vaccaro, Tyvon Branch, and Ron Parker. Mitigating factors could be at play — none of the players listed qualifies as a star, while Reid’s national anthem protests may be limiting his appeal — but it’s still extremely surprising that high-quality players are still available at an important position. Free agent defensive backs have in fact been communicating with one another in an attempt to elucidate the overall lack of interest, per La Canfora.

“We’re barely even getting phone calls, and we’re not the only ones,” an agents tells La Canfora. “You can’t even get (BS) offers. We’re literally getting nothing. I’m not even talking one year, $3 million. Nothing. And it’s not just us.”

The highest-paid free agent safety of 2017 will almost certainly end up being Lamarcus Joyner, whom the Rams will pay $11.287MM under the terms of the franchise tag. While other defensive backs such as Tyrann Mathieu, Kurt Coleman, an Marcus Gilchrist have also signed, Mathieu’s $7MM salary (on a one-year deal) is the most expensive figure in the non-franchise-tender department.

Green Bay and Tampa Bay are both losing free agent safeties in Morgan Burnett and T.J. Ward, respectively, so their interest in adding more defensive backs isn’t a total surprise. Dallas, too, could look to add more depth, especially if it moves Byron Jones to cornerback, but Cleveland has already added Damarious Randall (via trade) to play alongside Jabrill Peppers in the back end.

Buccaneers Host RB Benny Cunningham

March 25th, 2018 at 2:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers are meeting with free agent running back Benny Cunningham on Sunday, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Tampa Bay’s running back depth chart is currently in flux, as the club released Doug Martin earlier this offseason while Charles Sims is an unrestricted free agent. While the Buccaneers still employ Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers, Cunningham could help replace Sims, who spent the past four years as Tampa’s receiving back. The 27-year-old Cunningham only managed 20 receptions working behind fellow Bears Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen in 2017, but he posted 45 catches as recently as 2014.

Cunningham also has a history as a kick returner, as he averaged 27.8 yards per return with the Rams from 2014-16. The Buccaneers used three kick returners — Rodgers, wide receiver Bernard Reedy, and Sims — in 2017, but the latter two are no longer on the team’s roster.

Steelers Put Le’Veon Bell Talks On Hold

March 25th, 2018 at 11:53am CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers are putting negotiations with star running back Le’Veon Bell on hold while the team continues to navigate free agency and prepare for the draft, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. GM Kevin Colbert indicated that his club will resume talks with Bell’s reps “eventually,” and he hopes Bell will report to training camp.

Colbert added, “We’re not intentionally ignoring [Bell’s contract]. More urgent business needs to get taken care of. We will reassess where that is. He’ll reassess where his interests are as well. I anticipate us continuing that process once we get through the free agency period and maybe even through the draft. The draft can change things on both sides.”

We heard several weeks ago that Pittsburgh was getting closer to meeting Bell’s asking price, but obviously the team has not gotten there yet. Bell, of course, was hit with the franchise tag for the second consecutive season earlier this month, and while he will receive a healthy $14.544MM if he plays out the 2018 campaign under the tag, he is still looking for long-term security at a rate that the Steelers do not seem to be willing to pay.

Nonetheless, both Fowler and Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com (Twitter link) believe it is unlikely that the Steelers rescind Bell’s franchise tag. If they did, it could leave Bell in a tough position, as many teams have already spent their free agent budget, and even those that have not done so would probably be just as unwilling as the Steelers to satisfy Bell’s contract demands. Therefore, Bell may have to simply sign the franchise tender at some point prior to the start of the season. He has indicated previously that he will not attend training camp if he does not get a multi-year deal to his liking, even though his early-season performance in 2017 was not up to his usual standards, perhaps because he also skipped last year’s training camp.

Colbert’s comments that the team cannot divert its attention from free agency right now may raise some eyebrows given the Steelers’ small amount of cap room, but Kaboly tweets that Pittsburgh may not be done in free agency if a player it likes unexpectedly becomes available.

The Steelers also have several other in-house matters to resolve. Colbert said that the team could still extend Ben Roethlisberger‘s contract this offseason, which was mentioned as a possibility last month (Twitter link via Fowler). Big Ben’s current deal keeps him under club control through 2019.

Also, Kaboly tweets that no decision has been made with respect to Bud Dupree‘s fifth-year option, which must be exercised by May 3, but Fowler tweets that Colbert seems open to exercising it.

AFC Notes: Clowney, Darnold, Patriots

March 25th, 2018 at 11:33am CST by Rory Parks

The Texans are hoping to work out a long-term extension with star LB/DE Jadeveon Clowney this offseason, and the former No. 1 overall selection has expressed his desire to remain in Houston, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Clowney, a two-time Pro Bowler, said, “I want to be [in Houston] forever. It would be great, something I always dreamed of. I don’t want to leave this team. I’ve been here since the beginning. I want to stay here. I want to finish my career here, so I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully, they lock me in.”

As Wilson notes, a new contract for Clowney could make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, a mantle currently held by Denver’s Von Miller and his six-year, $114MM ($70MM guaranteed) deal. The Texans would like to get something done prior to the season, or even prior to training camp.

Now for more notes and rumors from around the AFC:

  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union offers his thoughts on a number of Jaguars-related items. For instance, he believes that, the longer Jacksonville is without a No. 2 QB, the likelier it is that the team uses a fairly high draft pick on a signal-caller. He also says the Jags need another versatile TE to continue running their grind-it-out offense, and he wonders if the fact that the team put a second-round tender on Corey Grant — which Grant signed several days ago — means that Grant will have a bigger role in the offense in 2018.
  • We already heard that top QB prospect Sam Darnold looked very good at USC’s recent pro day, and per Albert Breer of SI.com, Darnold himself said he is “trying to go to Cleveland” (meaning, of course, that he wants to be the No. 1 overall selection). Indeed, one AFC executive who attended the pro day told Breer, “Everyone out there today saw the Browns’ franchise quarterback.” Breer adds that post-combine buzz has pointed towards a Darnold-Cleveland marriage.
  • The Bengals may appear to be out of the running for the top safeties still on the free agent market — players like Kenny Vaccaro and Eric Reid — but Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer believes that the club is still monitoring those and other players to see if their price drops enough to make a move.
  • Patriots safety Duron Harmon, who was denied entry into Costa Rica after attempting to bring marijuana into the country — and who was briefly detained before being sent back to the United States — issued an apology for his actions via Instagram. Harmon is not expected to be released, though he could be entered into the league’s drug program and face a suspension from the league or the team. It is unclear at this point if he will face any criminal charges.
  • Now that the Patriots have lost Nate Solder and Cameron Fleming, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com looks at the battle for the Patriots’ starting left tackle position. The newly-resigned LaAdrian Waddle could be a factor, as could 2017 third-rounder Antonio Garcia. Garcia missed his rookie season due to blood clots in his lung, and while he has been cleared to play, he has lost a lot of weight and has a lot of ground to make up. Reiss says 2017 UDFA Cole Croston is an ascending player and could be a realistic candidate for the LT job.

Contract Details: 3/25/18

March 25th, 2018 at 10:04am CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts:

Load More Posts