2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Sign QB Chad Henne

March 16th, 2018 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs are signing quarterback Chad Henne to a two-year deal, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Henne, 33 in July, will serve as the No. 2 QB behind Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs have been on the lookout for a backup/mentor to pair with Mahomes. They had interest in signing Chase Daniel to fill that role, but he wound up joining the Bears on a two-year deal worth $10MM with $7MM guaranteed.

Kansas City may have preferred Daniel for the job, but Henne comes with more in-game experience. Daniel has only two starts in his entire NFL career and none since 2014. Henne, meanwhile, boasts 53 career starts, though he also hasn’t made a start since ’14.

The last time Henne saw consistent playing time was 2013, when he completed 60.6% of his passes for 3,241 yards and 13 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.

Jets Re-Sign OT Ben Ijalana

March 16th, 2018 at 2:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have signed tackle Ben Ijalana to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The news is a bit unexpected since the Jets declined his option for 2018 back in February.

Had the Jets retained Ijalana under the terms of his old deal, they would have had to pay out a $500K bonus in order to trigger a $4.5MM base salary for 2018. He’s back now, under a cheaper deal.

Ijalana appeared in 11 games in 2017 but only played 56 offensive snaps after losing out on a starting job to Brandon Shell. However, in the previous season, he started 13 games and played 83% percent of the team’s snaps.

Ijalan offers experience at both left tackle and right tackle and projects to come off of the bench in support of Kelvin Beachum and Shell. For a complete look at the Jets’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.

Eagles Cut DL Vinny Curry

March 16th, 2018 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are releasing defensive lineman Vinny Curry, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Eagles were hoping to retain him, but the two sides were unable to agree to terms on a pay cut. Curry would have locked in $5MM of his $9MM base salary had he remained on the roster on Sunday.

Curry appeared ticketed for release when the Eagles acquired Michael Bennett in a March trade with the Seahawks. He is now out of Philly and so is his $11MM cap hit. The Eagles will be left with $6MM in dead money after releasing Curry, but they’ll save $5MM.

Curry, 30 in June, totaled 42 tackles and three sacks last season for the Eagles. He tallied 22 sacks for the Eagles between 2013 and 2017.

At this point in free agency, Curry profiles as one of the very best free agent defensive linemen available. The Seahawks may have interest in Curry since they have dealt Bennett and are may be on the verge of losing Sheldon Richardson to free agency.

Seahawks Interested In DT Tom Johnson

March 16th, 2018 at 2:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings free agent defensive tackle Tom Johnson is scheduled to meet with the Seahawks on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Johnson reportedly also has drawn interest from the Raiders and Bills.

The Vikings are trying to hammer out a deal with Seahawks free agent Sheldon Richardson, but it has been said that they would like to retain Johnson as well. The Vikings and Johnson might not see eye-to-eye on his value, however. Johnson asked for a one-year, $4MM extension last season, but the Vikings refused. If Johnson can get an equivalent deal elsewhere, he might be a goner.

The Seahawks would like to keep Richardson, but it appears that they will not be able to keep up with the outside bidding for him. Johnson can help fill that void, though he can’t personally replace his production.

Johnson has 16 sacks to his credit over the last four seasons. He’ll celebrate his 34th birthday in August, so he’s probably looking at a one-year deal.

Patriots To Meet With CB Delvin Breaux

March 16th, 2018 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are set to meet with cornerback Delvin Breaux on Friday, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Breaux met with the Broncos earlier this week, but left Denver without a deal.

The Saints had the option of retaining Breaux as a restricted free agent, but opted against extending him a tender. That probably wasn’t an easy decision for New Orleans given the way he performed as a starter in 2015. Unfortunately, Breaux didn’t deliver in 2016 and his 2017 season was lost to injury.

The Patriots saw cornerback Malcolm Butler leave for the Titans on a five-year contract worth more than $61MM, so they’re clearly in the market for secondary help. They picked up one low-cost cornerback on Thursday when they traded for Jason McCourty, but there’s still room for improvement.

As shown on Roster Resource, the Pats currently project to start Jonathan Jones alongside star Stephon Gilmore with McCourty, Eric Rowe, and Cyrus Jones in support.

Panthers Cancel Bashaud Breeland Deal

March 16th, 2018 at 2:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Bashaud Breeland won’t be joining the Panthers after all. The team announced that Breeland failed his physical and will not be signing with the club.

Breeland was set to sign a three-year, $24M deal with Carolina. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that a “non-football incident” is to blame for the scuttled agreement. Breeland cut his foot and it got infected, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, adding that Breeland “is now a few months away from being able to pass a physical.”

Breeland was on the Browns’ radar, but it’s not clear if they still have interest after signing T.J. Carrie and Terrance Mitchell. The team thinks very highly of the other cornerbacks on the roster as well. When GM John Dorsey announced Jason McCourty‘s departure, he said that he was uncertain about whether the veteran would make the Browns’ final cut.

Breeland, 26, appeared in all but one of the Redskins’ games last season, so his non-football injury must have occurred in the offseason. He tallied 47 tackles and one interception, which was returned 96 yards for a touchdown against the Chargers.

The Panthers will continue their search for a cornerback, but many of this year’s top free agents are already off the board. Some of the best available options include Bills free agent E.J Gaines, Colts free agent Rashaan Melvin, and former Giants corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. There’s also Kyle Fuller of the Bears, though Chicago can match any offer thanks to the transition tag.

This marks the second notable free agent to have his deal ripped up over a bad physical this week. The Ravens backed out of their four-year deal worth $29MM deal with former Redskins wide receiver Ryan Grant when an issue with his ankle drew a red flag.

Colts Interested In OL Justin Pugh

March 16th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Giants free agent offensive lineman Justin Pugh is weighing an offer from the Cardinals, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). At the same time, the Colts are working on flying him in for a visit.

Pugh has experience at four different offensive line positions and stands as one of the best free agents left on the board. He missed half of 2017 due to injuries but he was recently cleared to resume football activities, so it seems likely that he’ll sign soon.

Last year, the Colts ranked dead last in adjusted sack rate and 18th in adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders, so they’re looking to improve the O-Line.

The Colts have a swing tackle of their own to re-sign in Jack Mewhort, but it’s unclear if the Colts have serious interest in bringing him back.

Saints, Thomas Morstead Agree To Extension

March 16th, 2018 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have signed punter Thomas Morstead to a new five-year contract (Twitter link via Omar Ruiz of NFL.com). Morstead was heading into final year of his old contract, but the new pact will keep him under contract through 2022.

The deal is worth $20MM with roughly $9MM guaranteed. As Ruiz notes, Morstead acted as his own agent in the negotiations, not unlike new 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman.

Last year, Morstead averaged 47.0 yards per punt, good for eighth-highest in the league. His net average of 42.2 yards per attempt placed him sixth amongst all punters, behind Brett Kern, Johnny Hekker, Marquette King, Rigoberto Sanchez, and Michael Palardy.

Lions, Saints In On LB Jonathan Freeny

March 16th, 2018 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent linebacker Jonathan Freeny will meet with the Lions on Friday, according to Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter). Meanwhile, a return to the Saints could still be in the cards.

Freeny joined the Saints in December and worked his way into the linebacker rotation. He appeared in two regular season games as well as both of New Orleans’ playoff contests. In the postseason, he tallied five tackles and one sack (pictured).

In other Lions news, the team re-signed running back Zach Zenner on Friday and has a meeting scheduled with running back Mike Davis.

Seahawks Meet With WR Markus Wheaton

March 16th, 2018 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Steelers and Bears wide receiver Markus Wheaton is visiting the Seahawks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Seahawks are on the lookout for pass catchers after losing tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Paul Richardson in free agency.

Last March, Wheaton inked a two-year contract with the Bears worth$11MM with $5MM guaranteed. That deal turned out to be a bust and Chicago released him earlier this week along with quarterback Mike Glennon and cornerback Marcus Cooper, two other free agent signings from 2017 that did not pan out.

Wheaton, 27, has registered just 51 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons. However, he had more than 40 receptions for the Steelers in both 2014 and 2015.

Wheaton could be a low-risk, high-reward pickup for Seattle, and that’s exactly the kind of signing they need as they are working with limited cap space. At the moment, the Seahawks have Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and the newly acquired Marcus Johnson as their top three receivers, as shown on Roster Resource. Seattle has also shown interest in Cardinals free agent receiver Jaron Brown.