2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Bills Sign OL Russell Bodine, Marshall Newhouse

March 19th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Bills instantly added depth to their depleted offensive line following the trade of left tackle Cordy Glenn, agreeing to deals with Marshall Newhouse and Russell Bodine, with Buffalo confirming both deals. Bodine will receive a two-year deal and Newhouse will join the team on a one-year deal. Bodine’s pact will be worth $5MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Newhouse’s deal is worth up to $2MM, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter).

Bodine looks to be the major haul of the two after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals while starting all 16 games at center each season. Eric Wood started all 16 regular-season games at center for the Bills last year but was forced to call it a career after failing his end-of-season physical with a neck injury. The Bills hosted Bodine for a visit Sunday and Monday. The Bengals offered the lineman a long-term, low-guarantee deal, but Rapoport notes that Bodine decided the Bills offer “is best for his future.”

The 25-year-old center graded as one of the bottom-10 centers in the NFL out of last season’s qualifiers, according to Pro Football Focus. With other centers like Ryan Jensen and Weston Richburg off the market, Bodine served as one of the top players at the position still available in free agency.

Newhouse, 29, started 14 games at right tackle for the Raiders last season. The Raiders released Newhouse earlier this month, a year into a two-year $3.5MM deal signed last offseason. Along with the trade of Glenn, the Bills lost Seantrel Henderson, who signed with the Texans this offseason. The Bills were set to enter the season with Dion Dawkins and Jordan Mills starting at tackle.

Newhouse was graded in the bottom-third of tackle qualifiers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s appeared in 100 games and has made 70 starts over a seven-year career, including stints with the Packers, Giants and Bengals.

[RELATED: Bills Depth Chart]

Seahawks Acquire CB C.J. Smith From Browns

March 19th, 2018 at 5:09pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Seahawks and Browns struck a deal Monday, as Cleveland agreed to send cornerback C.J. Smith to Seattle for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Browns confirmed the deal (on Twitter).

The 24-year-old was originally signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent by the Eagles in 2016 out of North Dakota State. He appeared in 10 games with the Eagles as a rookie. Smith was signed to the Browns’ practice squad early last season and was activated for the team’s final three regular-season games.

The Seahawks were in need of some depth at cornerback, with Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane being released and Byron Maxwell an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Seattle currently has Neiko Thorpe, Shaquill Griffin, Deandre Elliot and Justin Coleman atop its depth chart at cornerback.

Cleveland shored up its defensive backfield with the signing of former Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie and former Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell this offseason. Jamar Taylor and Briean Boddy-Calhoun return atop the team’s depth chart at cornerback.

Patriots Release LB Shea McClellin

March 19th, 2018 at 4:48pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Patriots have parted ways with linebacker Shea McClellin, releasing him with a failed physical designation, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). McLellin was unable to suit up last year after beginning the season on injured reserve and suffering a concussion at practice during his comeback attempt.

McClellin, 28, was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Bears in 2012. He was set to enter the second season of a three-year, $9MM deal ($3.5MM guaranteed) signed with the Patriots in 2015. In his lone season with the Patriots in 2016, he appeared in 14 games — starting four — and recorded just one sack. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the No. 72 edge rusher in the NFL out of 108 qualified players.

In four seasons with the Bears, McClellin appeared in 52 games and made 31 starts. His finest season came in 2014 when he recorded a career-best four sacks and matched his career high by appearing in 14 games.

McClellin would have likely worked as a rotational player behind Patriot starters Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy. Injuries limited Hightower to just five games last season. New England also has Elandon Roberts, Nic Grigsby and Harvey Langi rostered at linebacker, with James Harrison and Marquis Flowers unrestricted free agents this offseason.

Mike Pouncey Signs 2-Year Deal With Chargers

March 19th, 2018 at 4:14pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Chargers announced Tuesday that they’ve agreed to a two-year deal with Mike Pouncey after the three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman visited the team’s facility earlier in the day. The visit with the Chargers was the first for Pouncey with another team since he requested and was granted his release from the Dolphins last week.

The Chargers are set to give Pouncey $15MM over the two-year deal, with $10MM guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Pouncey certainly serves as an upgrade to the Chargers’ interior offensive line, with Spencer Pulley and second-year guard Dan Feeney previously set to return at center and right guard, respectively. They also lost versatile offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins to the Lions in free agency this offseason.

Matt Slauson, who started seven games at left guard for the Chargers last year before a biceps injury cut his season short, is an unrestricted free agent and has already visited with the Lions, with a visit scheduled Tuesday with the Colts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Colts had also reportedly shown interest in Pouncey.

The Dolphins and Pouncey parted ways last week after drafting him with the 15th overall pick of the 2011 draft out of Florida. He battled a hip injury last season but still managed to start all 16 games for the third time in his career. He was graded as the No. 25 center in the NFL out of qualifiers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Hip injuries have hampered Pouncey throughout his career and held him to just five games in 2016 before being placed on injured reserve.

The Dolphins signed Pouncey to a five-year $52.15MM extension back in 2015 but he was one of the team’s numerous cuts as part of an effort to reduce their cap number. Some of those other releases included defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, linebacker Lawrence Timmons and tight end Julius Thomas. The Dolphins cleared $9MM in cap space, with $2MM in dead cap, by releasing Pouncey.

[RELATED: Chargers Depth Chart]

QB Market Fallout: Cousins, Cards, McCown

March 19th, 2018 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2018 quarterback market sent several players to new teams as likely starters. But Kirk Cousins was clearly the prize. Three teams submitted offers. Here’s the latest fallout from the Cousins deal as well as teams’ decisions to sign other quarterbacks, courtesy of TheMMQB’s Peter King.

While King reports the Broncos indeed did not submit an offer to Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, the Cardinals did. They pitched their Patrick Peterson– and David Johnson-fronted core of young players, but McCartney told King Arizona finished third in this derby. Steve Keim was the first GM to call McCartney on Monday morning when the tampering period began, but McCartney told King he called Keim back that night and could not confirm Cousins would visit Arizona. The Cards then pivoted to Sam Bradford.
As reports over the weekend confirmed, the Jets were second, per King. McCartney didn’t confirm to King the Jets made the best offer, but both Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News and ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported they proposed a $30MM fully guaranteed deal, but he said New York pitched its cap space and Cousins’ familiarity with the kind of offense new OC Jeremy Bates would run. However, McCartney placed a call to Mike Maccagnan at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday and could not guarantee Cousins would visit. “That was a tough phone call,” McCartney said, via King. “They were clearly frustrated. They wanted to be guaranteed a visit. I told them I couldn’t guarantee a visit, that if he goes to Minnesota and loves it, he could sign. They were not happy about that. I understand, but I told everyone all along what the rules were, and we abided by them.”
Envisioning a “silent auction”-type format, McCartney told teams to come in with their best offers. However, he appeared to be surprised the Broncos didn’t make one. King reports John Elway liked Keenum “a lot” and didn’t want to pay “in the neighborhood” of $30MM per year for Cousins. The price tags for the slew of veterans on the Broncos’ roster, many of whom lobbied for Cousins to come to Denver, influenced Elway’s Keenum choice to sign Keenum for $18MM AAV. King adds Elway did not want the process to drag into Thursday or Friday and his roster not having a starter-caliber veteran quarterback on it.
The Jets immediately began talking to McCartney about one of his other clients, Josh McCown, but their $10MM offer — a career most for the soon-to-be 39-year-old quarterback — may have come because the Bills were strong pursuers as well. King reports Buffalo was “seriously interested” in McCown, who signed for $4MM more than he did last year. Buffalo ended up landing A.J. McCarron for less money per season.
The seven-team research list McCartney’s office compiled earlier this offseason included the final four teams, but also featured the Bills, Browns and Dolphins. Going into the final week, King notes McCartney and Cousins felt the Jets and Vikings had the edge but acknowledged the Broncos and Cardinals were still in the mix. McCartney told teams a fully guaranteed contract was important during this process. It’s unclear if the Cardinals offered that, but the other two proposals were for fully guaranteed deals. The agent confirmed only the Vikings, Cardinals and Jets made offers, and Minnesota’s included the pitch of possibly being in position to win multiple titles with Cousins as the missing piece. King notes Minnesota’s new stadium and new facility also surfaced during the team’s over-the-phone proposal.

Raiders Sign QB Josh Johnson

March 19th, 2018 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of Jon Gruden‘s final draft picks as Buccaneers head coach was a fifth-round selection of Josh Johnson in 2008, and the quarterback still being active opened the door to a reunion now that Gruden is coaching again.

The Raiders signed Johnson on Monday, according to agent Doug Hendrickson (Twitter link). An Oakland native, Johnson will return to his hometown and rejoin a Gruden staff to continue a nomadic career.

While Johnson has not thrown a pass in a game since 2011, he’s remained on rosters as a backup. Most recently, the Texans added him after Deshaun Watson‘s injury. Johnson’s rookie year came under Gruden, but he didn’t throw his first NFL pass until 2009.

The 31-year-old signal-caller could be in line to become Oakland’s third-string quarterback, behind Derek Carr and Connor Cook.

Panthers To Add WR Jarius Wright

March 19th, 2018 at 2:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jarius Wright will follow his former offensive coordinator south, agreeing to terms with the Panthers. The Vikings cut Wright last week and were open to a reunion with him. But Wright will follow Norv Turner to Charlotte.

The Panthers have agreed to a three-year deal with Wright, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter links), and will provide him with a $2MM signing bonus. The first year of this deal is worth $3.5MM with incentives, per Rapoport. Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer first reported a deal was imminent.

Wright follows Torrey Smith to Carolina, adding some veteran help for a young receiving corps that will see up-and-coming slot presence Curtis Samuel rehab from a season-ending injury this offseason. The Panthers also have veteran Russell Shepard under contract for 2018.

Minnesota released Wright but were open to having him back for a seventh season. However, the 28-year-old target opted for his first NFL agreement elsewhere instead. He pieced together a nice stretch from 2013-15, recording at least 430 receiving yards in each of those seasons. Wright posted a career-high 588 air yards in 2014 but regressed in the Vikings’ pecking order after Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen‘s arrivals. He caught 18 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns in 2017.

Giants To Sign DL Josh Mauro

March 19th, 2018 at 2:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

James Bettcher‘s presence as the Giants’ new defensive coordinator will help bring another former Cardinals defender to the Big Apple.

Having hosted Josh Mauro on a recent visit, the Giants have agreed to terms with the free agent defensive lineman, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mauro follows outside linebacker Kareem Martin in agreeing to trek to New York after playing for Bettcher in Arizona.

Mauro, 27, started 20 games over the past two seasons. He’ll bring experience as a 3-4 defensive end to a team that’s used a 4-3 defense for many years. Now expected to switch to Bettcher’s preferred 3-4, the Giants are adding a player who knows the responsibilities that come with a five-technique job.

The former UDFA started seven games last season and recorded a sack. He may end up serving as rotational depth. The Giants played second-round pick Dalvin Tomlinson at defensive tackle last season, but with Damon Harrison likely being the nose tackle in 2018, Tomlinson could slide over to end. Big Blue also has Kerry Wynn and Avery Moss as potential ends, although they were brought in to play a different end role.

S Michael Thomas Visits Steelers

March 19th, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers hosted safety Michael Thomas on a visit, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. This is the first known visit for Thomas, who spent five seasons with the Dolphins.

However, Kaboly reports Thomas left Pittsburgh’s facility without a contract. Both sides could be surveying their options, and the Steelers are in need of safety help.

Pittsburgh cut longtime back-line starter Mike Mitchell, though the Steelers are interested in a reunion at a lower rate, and has not seen its second-round investment in Sean Davis pay off just yet. Despite restructuring the deals of several players, the Steelers still have barely $2MM in cap space.

Thomas, who turned 29 over the weekend, served as a part-time starter and full-time special-teamer in Miami. He made 24 starts (12 in 2015) during his tenure with the Dolphins.

Giants Sign WR Cody Latimer

March 19th, 2018 at 1:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cody Latimer will make the move from Denver to the Big Apple, announcing (via Twitter) he has agreed to terms with the Giants.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirmed the signing (Twitter link), which will relocate a former second-round pick who spent four seasons with the Broncos. Although Latimer didn’t live up to his draft status, he served as a valuable special-teamer in Denver and showed some promise late in his contract year.

The 25-year-old wide receiver did not exceed 100 air yards in a season until 2017, when he 19 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. The Indiana product will join several Giants attempting to fill in behind Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard. Latimer will reunite with Tyke Tolbert, whom the Giants recently hired as their wide receivers coach. Tolbert coached Latimer in each of his four Broncos seasons.

Denver has now lost both of its top reserve wideouts, having also non-tendered RFA Bennie Fowler last week.