2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Rams To Re-Sign C John Sullivan

March 16th, 2018 at 8:11pm CST by Micah Powell

The Rams elected for continuity along their offensive line, bringing back veteran center John Sullivan on a two-year deal, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. The contract is worth up to $15MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Sullivan had drawn interest from the Giants and Redskins, but Rams general manager Les Snead also mentioned recently the team had already begun talks to bring him back. With interest from a pair of teams in need of offensive line help, Snead and the Rams made sure the team’s center would not get away.

Sullivan, 32, played 15 games for the Rams last year and graded out as the tenth-best center in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. After sliding down the Redskins’ depth chart in 2016, he re-established himself as a starting-caliber player.

[RELATED: Rams Depth Chart]

Buccaneers Sign C Ryan Jensen

March 16th, 2018 at 7:36pm CST by Micah Powell

The Buccaneers fortified their front five on Friday, signing former Ravens center Ryan Jensen, Mike McCartney, the player’s agent, tweets.

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports the contract is a four-year deal for $42MM with $22M in guaranteed money (Twitter link). The deal made Jensen the highest-paid center in the league and suggests that Ali Marpet will move back to guard in 2018.

That’s quite the haul for Jensen, who played his first three seasons in the league as a guard before switching to center in 2017. He proved up to the task in his first season at the position, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 center in the league. With Weston Richburg off the board, Jensen was the best pure center remaining on the open market.

Jensen was inactive for all 16 games as a rookie and was waived in his season before returning to the Ravens practice squad. He played just 19 games in his first four seasons before enjoying his breakout campaign in the middle of Baltimore’s front five in 2017.

The addition of Jensen should help open up some running lanes in Tampa Bay. In 2017, Peyton Barber led the team in rushing yards with a measly 423 yards. Kickstarting the rushing attack will help open up things through the air for Jameis Winston and Mike Evans.

[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]

Jordan Matthews Visits Cardinals

March 16th, 2018 at 6:59pm CST by Micah Powell

The Cardinals added veteran quarterback Sam Bradford to the team when free agency opened. It could now be looking at a move for one of his former receivers in Philadelphia.

Former Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews, who played with Buffalo in 2017, met with the team on Friday, Arizona Sports’ Mike Jurecki tweets.

In 2015, Bradford started 14 games with the Eagles and utilized Matthews as his favorite target. The second-year wideout just missed a 1,000-yard season, posting 997 yards, and caught a career-high 85 balls and tied his personal best with eight touchdowns.

After being dealt to the Bills in the 2017 offseason, Matthews turned in a disappointing 25 receptions for 282 yards and one touchdown in his one season with the team.

With the Cardinals losing deep threat John Brown, the team could be looking to outfit more playmakers around its new signal-caller. Matthews is a reliable option who fits the mold.

Bears Match Packers Offer Sheet For Kyle Fuller

March 16th, 2018 at 6:47pm CST by Micah Powell

The Bears had five days to match Green Bay’s offer sheet to cornerback Kyle Fuller but it only needed a few hours. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets Chicago has matched the offer to keep Fuller in the “Windy City.”

The contract is a four-year deal worth $56MM with $18MM in guaranteed money. As Rapoport notes, Fuller had already been guaranteed $13MM after the Bears placed the transition tag on him. It only made sense for the Bears to splurge the extra $5MM to keep him with the team and away from its division rival.

Pro Football Talk reports the deal includes a $1MM base salary in 2018, $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and a $500,000 workout bonus.

Fuller enjoyed a breakout year in 2017, amassing 68 tackles and ranking as PFF’s No. 22 ranked cornerback. That was in stark contrast, however, to his previous three seasons. The former No. 14 overall selection did well as a rookie in 2014 and followed that up with a decent showing in 2015, but his entire 2016 campaign was lost due to a knee injury. The Bears had the option of keeping Fuller under the fifth-year option for just $8.526MM. In hindsight, it’s a move they regret.

With the move, the team is betting on the 2017 version of Fuller being the new norm. With a team undergoing as much offseason change as Chicago, having a little bit of stability and familiarity in the secondary is sure to help the transition.

[RELATED: Bears Depth Chart]

Patriots Sign OT Matt Tobin

March 16th, 2018 at 6:32pm CST by Micah Powell

The Patriots added to a busy Friday afternoon by signing offensive tackle Matt Tobin to a one-year deal, ESPN’s Mike Reiss tweets.

Tobin spent 2017 as a backup left and right tackle with Seattle after being acquired from the Eagles in the offseason. He appeared in 15 games in 2017, and has played in 57, including 21 starts, in five NFL seasons.

Tobin adds depth to a Patriots offensive line that lost longtime tackle Nate Solder to the Giants earlier in free agency.

Kevin Pierre-Louis To Visit Bears

March 16th, 2018 at 6:17pm CST by Micah Powell

After meeting with the Jets on Thursday, linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis has now also met with the Bears, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets.

Pierre-Louis had essentially been a linebacker in name only until 2017, as special teams had been his primary area of focus. But the former fourth-round pick saw a career-high 25% playtime on defense, managing 25 tackles during that time. The Chiefs picked up KPL in a trade with the Seahawks last July that sent fellow ‘backer D.J. Alexander to Seattle.

Moving for Pierre-Louis would be the latest in a busy Bears offseason. So far, the has signed the likes of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Chase Daniel and Aaron Lynch.

Patriots To Sign Jeremy Hill

March 16th, 2018 at 6:05pm CST by Micah Powell

Just moments after adding veteran Adrian Clayborn to their defensive front four, the Patriots continued their reshuffling by reaching an agreement with former Bengals running back Jeremy Hill, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets.

Yates reported on Thursday the team was set to meet with the running back on Friday and the two sides quickly agreed to a deal.

A second-round pick in 2014, Hill burst on the scene with 1,124 yards and nine rushing touchdowns as a rookie. The following season, the LSU product tied for the league lead with 11 rushing scores. After another solid season in 2016, Hill was phased out after the team drafted Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon in the second round. Hill recorded just 116 yards on 37 carries.

Despite the departure of Dion Lewis to the Titans, the Patriots’ depth chart at running back is still chock full. Earlier in the week, the team re-signed Rex Burkhead, and it already has pass catcher James White and Mike Gillislee under contract.

Hill has served in a two-headed rushing attack since entering the league, splitting carries with Giovani Bernard in his first three seasons as well as Mixon in 2017.

[RELATED: Patriots Depth Chart]

Patriots Sign DE Adrian Clayborn

March 16th, 2018 at 5:44pm CST by Micah Powell

The Patriots made a big splash in free agency on Friday, reaching an agreement with the veteran defensive end Adrian Clayborn, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The player made the announcement on Friday via Instagram.

It is a two-year deal with a maximum value of $12.5MM, according to Schefter (Twitter link).

New England can use all the pass rush help it can get, as the club ranked 31st in adjusted sack rate a year ago. Clayborn can help with that, as the 29-year-old managed a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2017. However, Clayborn famously posted six of those sacks in one game against overpowered Cowboys left tackle Chaz Green.

Earlier in free agency, Pro Football Rumors listed help along the front seven as the most pressing need for the Patriots entering the 2018 offseason. It’s safe to say they began to fulfill that need on Friday with this signing.

With the move, Clayborn will slide in as a starter at defensive end, joining, among others, Lawrence Guy, Malcom Brown, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Trey Flowers on the Patriots’ front four depth chart.

A first-round selection in 2011, Clayborn spent four seasons in Tampa Bay making 13 sacks. He missed nearly two full campaigns with injuries. He moved to Atlanta and became a solid contributor on the Falcons defensive front, helping them reach Super Bowl LI against his new team.

[RELATED: Patriots Depth Chart]

Vikings Cut WR Jarius Wright

March 16th, 2018 at 5:27pm CST by Micah Powell

The Vikings continued their offensive reshuffling on Friday, announcing the release of sixth-year wideout Jarius Wright (Twitter link). According to Mark Craig of the Star Tribune, part of the timing with the move is to allow the receiver time to find another team (Twitter link).

The move helps free up cap space to allow the Vikings to sign the likes of Kirk Cousins and Sheldon Richardson. Wright was due a $3.6 MM base salary in 2018, and the move frees up $2.64 MM in cap space. He will count $2.12 MM in dead money.

In 2017, the slot receiver notched 18 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He added another six catches for 107 yards in two postseason games. Drafted by the team in the fourth round in 2012, Wright logged 153 receptions for 2,039 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Wright was a solid contributor with the Vikings and earned a 75.1 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Michael Crabtree Signs With Ravens

March 16th, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by Micah Powell

It didn’t take long for Michael Crabtree to find a new home. Just a day after being released by the Raiders, the veteran receiver reached an agreement on a three-year deal to join the Ravens, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.

The Ravens confirmed the deal in a followup, emoji-filled tweet moments later.

The deal is worth up to $21 MM and includes $11 MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

After long speculation, the Raiders decided to cut the nine-year wideout on Friday after it inked Jordy Nelson to a deal. Shortly after the move, the Ravens set up a meeting and were reportedly going hard to sign Crabtree.

In three seasons with the Raiders, Crabtree recorded 232 catches for 2,543 yards and 25 touchdowns. Despite having a down season in 2017, the Texas Tech product still managed to lead Oakland with eight touchdown grabs.

The Ravens have been looking for a go-to wideout for a long time and the team is hoping Crabtree can fill that role. Only three Baltimore receivers, and none since Torrey Smith in 2014, have recorded eight receiving touchdowns in a season, the amount Crabtree has logged in every season since 2015.

The team has been looking to upgrade its receiving options so far in the 2018 offseason. It added a deep threat with the addition of former Cardinals wideout John Brown earlier in the week. The team also thought it had a deal with former Redskins pass catcher Ryan Grant, but the deal was voided after he failed his physical. It was also reported the team was in the mix for Jimmy Graham and Eric Ebron.

[RELATED: Ravens Depth Chart]