2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Colts To Meet With WR Ryan Grant

March 16th, 2018 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent wide receiver Ryan Grant is set to meet with the Colts, his agent tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Grant had an agreement to join the Ravens, but that deal was nullified on Thursday due to the results of his physical.

While the Ravens’ doctors were not comfortable with signing Grant, agent Rocky Arceneaux says that his ankle is a non-issue. Arceneaux says his client has been working out and running routes without any issue. Grant’s ankle was cleared by famed surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson, the agent says, and he insists his client is ready to rock.

“If there were a game tomorrow, Ryan would be able to play,” the agent said.

Grant had a breakout season in 2017, notching 45 receptions for 573 yards and four touchdowns with Washington. The Redskins previously expressed interest in retaining Grant, so that could be another possibility for him if a deal doesn’t come together with the Colts.

Extra Points: DRC, Redskins, Maxwell

March 16th, 2018 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie says he’s in no rush to make a decision in free agency. Right now, he’s hoping to make a decision “in April sometime” (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson).

Rodgers-Cromartie visited with the Redskins and had a meeting scheduled with the Saints, but it seems that New Orleans lost interest after signing fellow corner Patrick Robinson. The Redskins could still use an addition to their cornerback group, but it’s possible that their offer was not to DRC’s liking. Or, perhaps no offer was made.

Before he was released by the Giants, DRC reportedly agreed to play safety in 2018. That could be a solution for him if his market continues to stall.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

As teams try to hold onto their own players, two to watch: The Redskins are working to keep outside linebacker Junior Galette and the Seahawks are doing the same with cornerback Byron Maxwell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). We had Galette ranked as a top-12 edge rusher heading into free agency. Maxwell did not make the top 15 at his position due to his decline in performance and the depth of this year’s CB crop.
Linebacker Demario Davis says the Jets didn’t make him an offer before he signed with the Saints. “The shocking thing was the Jets didn’t make me an offer, so that made my decision easy because all I had to do was look at the contenders,” Davis said (via Rod Walker of The Advocate). “It would have been something to weigh. The hardest decision isn’t where to go, but deciding if you want to go or stay. So I didn’t have to make that decision so that was the peaceful thing about it. I was able to just weight my options objectively.” Things worked out just fine for Davis as he signed a three-year, $24MM deal with New Orleans.
The Dolphins have been talking with agent Drew Rosenhaus about re-signing offensive tackle Sam Young, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. If retained, Young would return as Miami’s third offensive tackle.

Benson Mayowa To Visit Colts

March 16th, 2018 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Former Cowboys edge rusher Benson Mayowa is visiting with the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mayowa has also reportedly drawn the interest of the Jets, Redskins, and Seahawks, but he remains unsigned more than one week after being informed of his released from the Cowboys.

Mayowa, 27 in August, had just 31 tackles and one sack in his 381 snaps for Dallas in 2017. However, he had six sacks in the previous season. The Cowboys initially signed Mayowa when he was a restricted free agent and regarded as a high-potential player out of Oakland. Although he didn’t do much last year, he’s still young and teams believe he has upside.

The Colts agreed to sign Denico Autry, another ex-Raider, to a three-year deal worth nearly $18MM on Wednesday. Autry is likely to start at one defensive end spot, opposite Jabaal Sheard. Johnathan Hankins and Al Woods, meanwhile, figure to start in between.

Latest On TE Ed Dickson

March 16th, 2018 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are out of the bidding for tight end Ed Dickson, a source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Dickson’s visit with the Seahawks has been extended into Friday as the two sides work towards finalizing a deal.

The Panthers were hoping to retain Dickson, but he found a sizable market this week. The Seahawks are keenly interested, especially after losing star Jimmy Graham to the Packers.

Dickson, 31 this summer, was mainly used as a secondary blocking tight end for most of his stay with the Panthers. However, he got a chance to shine last year when starting tight end Greg Olsen was lost to injury. He racked up 437 receiving yards and a touchdown last season, an improvement over his 370 receiving yards from 2014-16.

Dickson is also on the Falcons’ radar as they seek a complementary tight end to play behind/with Austin Hooper. From the sound of it, Seattle may beat them to the punch.

Lions To Meet With RB Mike Davis

March 16th, 2018 at 9:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions will meet with running back Mike Davis on Friday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Davis also has other visits lined up after his Detroit trip, Rapoport adds.

Davis, a fourth-round pick of the Niners in 2015, was claimed off waivers by Seattle in May. Although he didn’t make the Week 1 cut, the Seahawks signed him to the taxi squad after releasing him. In November, Davis earned a promotion to the varsity squad when C.J. Prosise landed on IR.

Davis’ stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but he did have some performances of note late last season. On Dec. 10 against Jacksonville, he ran for 66 yards off of 15 carries, good for a 4.4 yards per carry average. Then, in the season finale against Arizona, he had 48 yards off of ten attempts. He’s not a surefire answer for the Lions’ running woes, but he could compete for a spot on the roster.

On Friday morning, the Lions announced that running back Zach Zenner has been re-signed. If Davis is inked, that would make six RBs under contract for Detroit. Even then, they’d still continue to explore options in free agency and the draft.

Lions Re-Sign RB Zach Zenner

March 16th, 2018 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have re-signed running back Zach Zenner. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Zenner, 27 in September, was non-tendered by Detroit. He’s back with the team on a new deal anyway, presumably one that is cheaper than the low level tender of $1.907MM.

The running back originally joined the Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent out of South Dakota State in 2015. In eight games last season, he had 14 carries for 26 yards and one touchdown. He saw the most action of his career in 2016 when he ran for 334 yards off of 88 carries (just 3.8 yards per attempt) and four touchdowns. He also added 18 catches for 196 yards.

The Lions are widely expected to add to their running back group, though they did not sign a new RB in the first couple days of free agency. For now, Ameer Abdullah profiles as Detroit’s top runner with Theo Riddick, Tion Green, and Dwayne Washington in support.

Bills Re-Sign Taiwan Jones, Travaris Cadet

March 16th, 2018 at 8:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced that they have re-signed a pair of running backs. Taiwan Jones and Travaris Cadet are both ticketed to return for 2018.

With both players back in the fold, the Bills currently have six running backs under contract. Needless to say, not all of them will be on the team in September. They will, however, duke it out between now and final cuts.

LeSean McCoy, coming off of his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, will be the primary ball carrier for his fourth season in Buffalo. As of this writing, new free agent pickup Chris Ivory figures to serve as his primary backup, as shown on Roster Resource. Marcus Murphy and Aaron Green are also in the mix and the Bills could still look to add to the RB group in April’s draft.

In other Bills news, offensive lineman Richie Incognito reworked his contract on Thursday, allowing him to stay with the team.

Raiders To Host CB Rashaan Melvin

March 15th, 2018 at 10:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders will host free agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin on Friday, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Both Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal have reported that Oakland has had conversations with Melvin.

Melvin, a 2013 undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois, spent the past two seasons with the Colts, where he’s had a pair of solid campaigns. Following a breakout season in 2016, Melvin was just as productive this year, finishing with 36 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended. Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his performance, ranking him 17th among 120 eligible cornerbacks. PFR ranked Melvin as the No. 12 free agent cornerback.

The Raiders could certainly use some reinforcement at cornerback, as the club is currently projected to start 2017 first- rounder Gareon Conley and former seventh-rounder Dexter McDonald. Oakland also has Darius Hillary, Antonio Mitchel, and Shaquille Richardson on their CB depth chart.

Oakland isn’t the only team eyeing Melvin, as the Packers also reportedly have interest in the 28-year-old.

Giants Move Ereck Flowers To Right Tackle

March 15th, 2018 at 10:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants confirmed their signing of left tackle Nate Solder to a four-year, $62MM deal, and in so doing, announced former first-round pick Ereck Flowers will move to right tackle.

The news doesn’t come as a complete surprise. Flowers had to play somewhere after all (unless New York intended to trade or release him), so the only question was whether he would shift to guard or right tackle. The former first-round pick was considered a guard prospect by many during the 2015 pre-draft process, but Flowers will stay at tackle, only on the right side.

“As soon as we announced the signing of Nate, [head coach] Pat [Shurmur] spoke with Ereck,” general manager Dave Gettleman said, per John Healy of the New York Daily News. “He called him on the phone to talk to him and said, ‘Listen, we’re going to move you to right, and at the end of the day, the five best offensive linemen play.’ That’s where they left it, and Ereck was fine on the phone.”

Although he’s only 23 years old, Flowers already has plenty of NFL experience, as he’s started 46 games for the Giants over the past three years. He’s never been effective, however: 2017 marked his best campaign to date, but that only resulted in Flowers grading as the league’s No. 54 tackle among 81 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Contractually, Flowers’ position change doesn’t have any immediate effects. New York needs to decide on his 2019 fifth-year option by early May, but his move to right tackle won’t change anything. Fifth-year option values — like franchise tags — don’t have different values for tackles and interior linemen, let alone left and right tackles.

Seahawks, Chargers Eyeing Caleb Sturgis

March 15th, 2018 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent kicker Caleb Sturgis met with the Seahawks on Thursday and will take a visit with the Chargers on Friday, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Los Angeles is certainly in need of a new kicker this offseason, as the club deployed four different kickers in 2017 without much success. The Chargers have already met with former Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski, so they’re looking at all available options. Seattle, meanwhile, signed Jason Myers — who has a 36 games worth of experience — to a futures deal earlier this year, but Sturgis could represent an upgrade.

Sturgis, for his part, barely played last season, as he suffered a hip injury in Week 1 of the Eagles’ season. Jake Elliott experienced success as Sturgis’ replacement in Philadelphia, so a reunion between the Eagles and Sturgis doesn’t seem possible. Sturgis, 28, owns a career field goal percentage of 81.0 over parts of five NFL campaigns.