2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Re-Sign CB Pierre Desir

March 20th, 2018 at 12:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Pierre Desir has agreed to a new one-year deal with the Colts, a league source tells Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter).

Desir was claimed by the Colts in September of 2017 after he missed the Seahawks’ initial 53-man cut. The 27-year-old (28 in September) quickly impressed coaches and found himself with a prominent role behind top corners Nate Hairston and Rashaan Melvin. He appeared in nine games (six starts) for Indianapolis, finishing out with career highs in passes defensed (7) and total tackles (32) before landing on IR in December with a pectoral injury.

Now that Melvin has signed with the Raiders, Desir figures to be in for serious playing time right off the bat in 2018. The Colts likely will continue to look for cornerback help with Quincy Wilson, Kenny Moore, and Nate Hairston amongst their top CBs under contract. Darius Butler, who spent time at cornerback before playing primarily at safety in ’17, is in free agency limbo.

Falcons Meet With CB Justin Bethel

March 20th, 2018 at 12:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Justin Bethel will meet with the Falcons on Tuesday, according to a release from the team. This is Bethel’s first known free agent visit of this cycle.

Bethel earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2013-2015, mainly for his special teams work. At different times over the last three seasons, the Cardinals have tried to use Bethel as their No. 2 cornerback opposite star Patrick Peterson. The results were mixed, at best, though he does have four interceptions since 2015.

The Falcons have been pretty quiet in free agency thus far with with guard Brandon Fusco representing their only signing. If Bethel comes to Atlanta, it’ll be largely for special teams purposes with some reps behind starters Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford.

Jaguars To Release Marcedes Lewis

March 20th, 2018 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Marcedes Lewis is hitting the free agent market. The Jaguars will release the tight end after 12 seasons with the team, according to Mark Long of the AP (on Twitter).

The moves comes as a surprise since the Jaguars exercised their 2018 option for Lewis in late February. Then again, their March signing of Austin Seferian-Jenkins made Lewis less of a priority and new pickup Niles Paul crowds the depth chart somewhat. Paul now figures to serve as ASJ’s primary understudy with Ben Koyack, James O’Shaughnessy, and David Grinnage vying for the No. 3 TE role.

“I think I deserved a little better than I got,” Lewis said of the release (Twitter link). “I wish they would have done it sooner.”

Lewis’ $3.5MM salary for this season was not guaranteed, so the release will not leave any dead money on Jacksonville’s cap. He leaves the team with the third most games played in franchise history. It wasn’t always fun times for Lewis as the 2017 campaign marked just the second winning campaign he’s experienced in his career.

Even though he’ll turn 34 in May, Lewis figures to find a healthy market for his services. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the league’s best run blocker, edging out Patriots star Rob Gronkowski.

Raiders To Meet With Eric Decker

March 20th, 2018 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday morning, there were rumblings online of Eric Decker meeting with the Saints. It turns out that Decker is meeting with a team today, but not that one. He’ll be meeting with the Raiders, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter).

The meeting with the Raiders marks his first visit of free agency. In Oakland, Decker could become the No. 3 wide receiver on a depth chart that already includes Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson.

Decker was a late surprise cut by the Jets last year, leading him to sign a one-year deal with the Titans. He fell a little flat in Tennessee, recording 54 catches for just 563 yards and one touchdown. Decker also missed most of 2016 due to injury, so the 31-year-old is now two years removed from being a high-end wide receiver.

In 2015, Decker’s last complete season, he hauled in 80 catches for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Jets. He also had 1,000+ yard seasons in 2012 and 2013 with the Broncos and nearly hit that mark in his first Jets season in 2014.

Colts To Sign WR Ryan Grant

March 20th, 2018 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

Ryan Grant has agreed to sign with the Colts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year, $5MM deal for the wide receiver.

Presumably, Grant has passed the Colts’ physical, which he did not able to do with the Ravens. Grant had a four-year deal worth $29MM ($14.5MM guaranteed) in place with Baltimore, but the Ravens nullified the agreement when they found an issue with Grant’s ankle that dated back to the final game of the 2017 season.

It’s not uncommon for players to fail a physical evaluation with one team and pass a physical with another club. Grant’s ankle, apparently, did not deter the Colts and it did not deter the Raiders from showing interest in him either. There’s also the possibility that the Ravens simply found a way to bail on the Grant deal once Michael Crabtree became available.

As shown on Roster Resource, Grant currently projects to be the Colts’ No. 2 wide receiver behind star T.Y. Hilton. Indianapolis figures to further bolster that group, which also includes eight other receivers who are of the late-round and UDFA variety.

Grant had 45 catches for 573 yards and four touchdowns with the Redskins last year. Pro Football Focus ranked Grant just 57th out of 116 qualified NFL wide receivers.

Raiders Trade Jamize Olawale To Cowboys

March 20th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have traded fullback Jamize Olawale to the Cowboys, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders will send a sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in the deal in exchange for a fifth-rounder.

Olawale was originally signed by Oakland off of Dallas’ practice squad. He has been with the Raiders since 2012, but he’s now headed back to Dallas to take over for Keith Smith, who signed with the Raiders earlier this month. In essence, the Raiders and Cowboys have swapped fullbacks, but in a slightly more complicated fashion.

Olawale, 29 in April, has been primarily used as a blocker in Oakland. Over the last three seasons, he has just 55 carries for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He hasn’t been a huge factor as a receiver either with just 27 grabs for 344 yards and one score in that span.

Trading Olawale takes $1.6MM off of Oakland’s cap. Meanwhile, they’ve also turned a sixth-round pick into a fifth-round pick in a deal that echoes this week’s Cordarrelle Patterson trade with the Patriots.

Jaguars Release WR Allen Hurns

March 20th, 2018 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are releasing wide receiver Allen Hurns, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move comes as a surprise since Hurns has been a regularly featured player for Jacksonville over the past four seasons.

Hurns was midway through a four-year extension worth roughly $40MM with $20MM in guaranteed money. Those guarantees were paid down over the first two years of the deal, so the Jaguars will carry no dead money while saving $7MM against the 2018 cap.

Last year, injuries limited Hurns to just ten games. He has missed eleven games since 2016 and that was likely a factor in Jacksonville’s decision to let him go.

Although a great deal of cap room has already been spent around the league, there are still dollars out there for someone like Hurns in the second wave of free agency. The Jets, for example, still have $40MM to work with and continue to scour the free agent market for help at wide receiver.

The Jaguars, who mounted an impressive run to the AFC title game, will return with a revamped group of wide receivers in 2018. Star Allen Robinson, who missed the majority of the 2017 season, left in free agency to sign a lucrative deal with the Bears. Meanwhile, it appears that new pickup Donte Moncrief will serve as the team’s No. 2 WR behind Marqise Lee as he replaces Hurns on the depth chart. New tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins also figures to see a lot of passes thrown in his direction.

49ers Meet With Jaylen Watkins

March 20th, 2018 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

Eagles free agent defensive back Jaylen Watkins is visiting the 49ers tomorrow, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks the first “of a few visits” lined up for the cornerback/safety.

The Eagles opted against tendering Watkins, which may have had more to do with their cap situation than their evaluation of him as a player. The Florida product has been a regular contributor for Philadelphia over the last two seasons with 28 regular season games and 51 total tackles to his credit over that time.

This past season, Watkins saw most of his playing time on special teams while playing on only 170 defensive snaps. He was not a star for the Eagles, but he still played a vital role.

“He’s Mr. Do-It-All,” Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills said of Watkins earlier this year (via the News-Press). “Whatever spot, if anybody happens to bust a shoelace, equipment issue, you can plug him in, and you know he’s going to go out there and do the job.”

In San Francisco, Watkins would also provide some much-needed depth in the secondary.

Steelers To Sign Morgan Burnett

March 20th, 2018 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers will sign defensive back Morgan Burnett, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth close to $14.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Burnett just wrapped up a four-year, $24.75MM deal with the Packers and he was said to be seeking a deal worth more than $8.5MM per year at one point. He fell short of that goal, but he still did well considering how stagnant the free agent safety market has been this year.

In eight years with the Packers, Burnett logged snaps at cornerback, free safety, and even linebacker. Heading into free agency, the Bears and Browns had some interest, but it’s not clear if they ever made offers to him. Ultimately, Burnett chose the Steelers because he wanted the chance to play for two historic franchises that also value veteran leadership, Fowler hears (on Twitter).

With the Steelers, Burnett seems likely to take over at one of the starting safety spots in place of Mike Mitchell. He’ll also help fill in some gaps at cornerback and free safety now that Will Gay is out of the picture.

Burnett, 29, has been an effective and versatile player throughout his career, but injuries have been an issue. He has not played a full season since 2012 and he has missed ten regular season games over the past three seasons.

News of Burnett signing with the Steelers was first reported by former Packer James Jones (Twitter link).

James Ihedigbo Announces Retirement

March 19th, 2018 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Veteran safety James Ihedigbo is calling it a career. The 34-year-old announced his retirement this evening via an Instagram post.

The 2007 undrafted free agent out of Massachusetts ended up having a 10-year career in the NFL, including stints with the Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Lions, and Bills. The veteran’s best season came back in 2013 with the Ravens, when he finished the campaign with 101 tackles, 11 passes defended, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Following his two-year tenure in Baltimore, Ihedigbo bounced between Detroit and Buffalo. His last NFL stint came in 2016, when he compiled 16 tackles in four games (three starts) with the Bills. Unfortunately, the veteran landed on the injured reserve early on in the season, ending his final season prematurely. The veteran failed to pick up a gig for the 2017 campaign, and he would have been required to serve a four-game suspension had he landed on a new team.