2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Jordy Nelson To Visit Seahawks, Saints

March 14th, 2018 at 11:24am CST by Sam Robinson

Jordy Nelson‘s free agent tour is underway. The former Packers wide receiver is set to meet with the Seahawks and Saints, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Nelson is already scheduled to visit the Raiders.

This will be the 32-year-old wide receiver’s first time in free agency. The Packers released Nelson on Tuesday, but he’s indicated he still wants to play. He’s heading into what would be his 11th NFL season, and based on where receiver contracts have gone this week, it’s logical there’s a big market for his services despite Nelson having gone through his least productive season.

Part of those struggles likely came because of Aaron Rodgers‘ injury. As recently as 2016, Nelson produced the fourth 1,000-plus-yard season of his career and caught 14 TD passes.

The Seahawks are losing Paul Richardson to the Redskins, and the Saints’ Michael Thomas supporting cast is uncertain. The latter has consistently found room for several producers beyond its No. 1 target, but Nelson would be one of the highest-profile receivers to come through New Orleans during Drew Brees‘ run. New Orleans already has an auxiliary wideout in his early 30s, however, in Ted Ginn.

The Seahawks have Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett representing their most notable pass-catchers, and Jimmy Graham is departing for Green Bay and will likely assume some of the red zone responsibilities Nelson enjoyed during his Packers run.

These suitors’ financial situations are fairly similar as free agency is set to start. All have between $25-$30MM, according to OverTheCap.

DL Jarvis Jenkins Re-Signs With Chiefs

March 14th, 2018 at 11:21am CST by Ryan Posner

Veteran defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins has signed a deal to remain with the Chiefs, per his agency, SportsTrust (on Twitter). The terms of Jenkins’ deal have yet to be reported.

Jenkins, 29, is back with the Chiefs after signing a one-year deal with them last offseason. He appeared in 11 games last season — making one start — and had a sack to go with 11 tackles. Pro Football Focus graded Jenkins as a bottom-30 interior defender among 121 qualifiers.

Jenkins played on only 19% of Kansas City’s defensive snaps a season ago, fifth among Chiefs linemen. He’ll once again serve as depth behind Chris Jones, Allen Bailey, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and could see more time if free agent Bennie Logan doesn’t re-sign.

Bears, Browns Expected To Pursue Morgan Burnett

March 14th, 2018 at 11:17am CST by Sam Robinson

While many of the top free agents on this year’s market have agreed to terms with teams, the safety contingent still has some high-end options unattached. One of those players has drawn interest from two cash-rich suitors.

Both the Bears and Browns are expected to make pitches to longtime Packers safety Morgan Burnett, Ryan Wood of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The Packers did have conversations at the Combine about what it would take to retain Burnett, and they’ve learned they could be priced out of the race. Burnett’s asking price is believed to be a deal north of $8.5MM per year. This would be the 29-year-old defender’s third NFL contract; he just wrapped up a four-year, $24.75MM deal.

Burnett has started all 102 games he’s played in Green Bay since being a 2010 third-rounder. The Browns already have acquired a Packers defensive back, and they’re planning to play Damarious Randall as a safety. They drafted Jabrill Peppers last year. Burnett obviously has far more experience than both of them. The Bears received top-flight play from Adrian Amos last year and have intriguing second-year talent Eddie Jackson on their back line as well, so their interest is somewhat curious.

Wood reports, however, that the Packers aren’t going to bow out of this without exploring a retention scenario. This is partially due to HaHa Clinton-Dix’s 2017 struggles. But Burnett could well follow Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward out of Green Bay soon, with the Browns and Bears holding the second- and seventh-most cap space as of Wednesday morning.

Bills Trade Cordy Glenn To Bengals

March 14th, 2018 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals are trading for Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will see the Bills move up in the first round, according to Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Bills will acquire the No. 12 pick in the draft, while the Bengals will go down to No. 21 overall. The two teams will also swap fifth- and sixth-round picks. Precisely, the Bills will trade picks 21 and 158 for picks 12 and 187, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.

Glenn was a durable player for the Bills prior to signing a massive extension with the Bills in 2016. Since then, he has been banged up and not quite worth the money for Buffalo. With a lofty $14.45MM cap number in 2018 and a $6.5MM roster bonus on the horizon, the Bills have decided to move on.

Glenn drew interest from teams at last year’s trade deadline, including the Seahawks, so the Bills knew there was at least some market for him, despite his health concerns and hefty contract. Glenn has three years and roughly $30MM remaining on his contract.

Glenn, 29 in September, appeared in just six games (275 snaps) for Buffalo last season before being placed on IR. He also missed five games of action in 2016. Before that, Glenn played a full 16-game slate in three consecutive seasons.

From 2013-2016, Glenn graded out as roughly a top-20 tackle, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He did not fare nearly as well in his limited and injury-plagued sample last season.

The Bengals, who saw longtime left tackle Andrew Whitworth defect to the Rams in free agency last March, badly needed to upgrade their offensive line. They have done just that by acquiring Glenn. If healthy, Glenn easily profiles as an above-average starter at left tackle. Given his injury history, the Bengals will want to shore up the bench in the even that he misses time.

The Bills, meanwhile, have greatly improved their standing in the draft. They also hold the No. 22 overall selection, thanks to last year’s Patrick Mahomes trade, and five of the draft’s first 65 choices. Buffalo now figures to let Dion Dawkins, who filled in for Glenn last season when he was ailing, move into the role of its full-time left tackle.

Considering their stock of early-round picks, you can only wonder if the Bills are preparing to make a run at one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Buffalo may be emulating the strategy the Eagles took several years ago to select Carson Wentz, when Philly started with No. 13, moved up to No. 8, and ultimately traded for the second-overall pick. Of course, the Bills could also be eyeing free agent quarterbacks, as reports from earlier today indicated that they had interest in former Vikings signal-callers Sam Bradford and Case Keenum.

[RELATED: Bengals Depth Chart]

Saints Interested In QB Tom Savage

March 14th, 2018 at 11:02am CST by Zachary Links

After losing Chase Daniel to the Bears, the Saints are in the market for a backup quarterback. That search could lead them to Tom Savage, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.

Savage, our 15th ranked QB in free agency, began the season as the Texans’ starting quarterback but got the hook in favor of Deshaun Watson in the early in the year. When Watson was lost to a torn ACL, Savage regained the starting job only to suffer a season-ending concussion in Week 14. All in all, Savage played in eight games and started seven, going 1-6 in those starts.

Savage, a former fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, finished the year with 1,412 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions. He also completed just 56% of his passes.

The Saints and other interested teams will want to take a close look at Savage’s medicals in the wake of his scary concussion last year which left him shaking on the field. Savage, somehow, was allowed to re-enter the game afterwards.

Jeremy Lane Formally Charged With DUI

March 14th, 2018 at 11:00am CST by Ryan Posner

The Seahawks have already parted ways with Jeremy Lane this offseason and the cornerback has now found himself in some legal trouble as he attempts to find a new football home. Lane was formally charged with a DUI in relation to a January arrest, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 26.

Lane struggled last season — Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the five worst cornerbacks in the NFL — and the Seahawks cut him on March 9, joining Richard Sherman as cornerbacks cut by Seattle this offseason. The Seahawks drafted Lane in the sixth round in the 2012 draft and he’s spent his entire career in Seattle. He was slated to be sent to the Texans as part of the package to acquire left tackle Duane Brown during this past season but failed his physical and remained with the Seahawks.

Lane, 27, received a bulk of his playing time with the Seahawks over the last two seasons, appearing in 19 games and starting 15. He has not picked off a pass since collecting two interceptions in 2013. Lane is in a cornerback free-agent market that’s headlined by the likes of Trumaine Johnson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Johnathan Joseph and Adam Jones.

Bears Interested In P Kevin Huber

March 14th, 2018 at 10:50am CST by Zachary Links

We have punter news. The Bears have spoken to Bengals free agent Kevin Huber, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Bears’ own punter, Pat O’Donnell, is a pending free agent. It’s unclear whether O’Donnell is still in their plans, or if they are just safeguarding themselves in the event of O’Donnell’s departure.

Huber has been the Bengals’ punter ever since entering the league in 2009. In 2014, he earned his first and only Pro Bowl selection. Last year, he set a new career watermark with 46.6 yards per boot.

Jets, Falcons Interested In Broncos QB Trevor Siemian?

March 14th, 2018 at 10:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos are fielding calls on Trevor Siemian and at least two teams are in the mix. The Jets and Falcons are interested in the signal caller, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter).

It would be surprising, to say the least, if the Jets still have interest in Siemian after re-signing Josh McCown and adding Teddy Bridgewater in free agency. Popular thought has been that the Jets would explore QB options in the draft, perhaps at No. 6 overall, in order to groom a younger player for the position behind the two veterans. It’s possible that the Jets would prefer to go with a deeper depth chart of three established QBs while using their top pick to bolster another department.

The Falcons would also make for an odd destination for Siemian given that they recently inked backup Matt Schaub to a two-year extension. While Atlanta could get out of Schuab’s deal with relative ease, the club wouldn’t have made the move to keep Schaub unless it was comfortable with him as Matt Ryan‘s No. 2. Siemian could potentially serve as the Falcons’ third-stringer, but many teams like to keep that spot open for a developmental arm.

Siemian offered league-average production in 14 games as the Broncos’ starter in 2016, as the former seventh-round pick completed 59.5% of his passes for 3,401 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Last season, however, Siemian struggled mightily, and Denver ultimately turned to Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch under center.

Siemian could conceivably attract interest from any number of teams as a backup quarterback, especially given his price tag. He’ll earn just $1.907MM in 2018 (a raise over his scheduled base salary, thanks to the proven performance escalator), an entirely palatable figure for a No. 2 signal-caller.

Packers No Longer Interested In TE Ed Dickson

March 14th, 2018 at 10:42am CST by Zachary Links

Ed Dickson has lost a suitor. After the Packers agreed to sign Jimmy Graham on Tuesday, they are no longer interested in the Panthers free agent, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Meanwhile, they have “done nothing” with free agent Richard Rodgers.

Based on what we’ve heard, that could mean the Falcons are in the catbird seat for his services. Atlanta needs another tight end after cutting Levine Toilolo, so Dickson could potentially remain in the NFC South. He’d serve as the Falcons’ No. 2 behind starter Austin Hooper.

Dickson, 30, didn’t play a large receiving role during his first three years with the Panthers, but an injury to starting tight end Greg Olsen allowed Dickson to play on 80% of Carolina’s offensive plays last season. While he wasn’t a world-beater, Dickson did manage 437 yards and a touchdown, solid numbers considering he’d managed just 370 receiving yards from 2014-16.

Browns Haven’t Ruled Out Saquon Barkley

March 14th, 2018 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns added one of this year’s best available running backs in Carlos Hyde, but they haven’t ruled out selecting Saquon Barkley in next month’s draft, according to ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon. “Nobody is ruled out,” one source said of the Browns’ mindset.

Of course, popular thought would dictate that the Browns will select a quarterback at No. 1 overall while addressing a different need at No. 4. By the time No. 4 rolls around, it’s likely that Barkley will be off the board.

Hyde inked a three-year, $15MM deal with Cleveland that includes $6MM in 2018. That’s a decent-sized deal, but the cash-flush Browns can afford to roster Hyde as the bottom half of a timeshare. That would be Hyde’s likely role, should the team go for the Penn State star.

The Browns still need to address their QB situation in the long term and one of their two top picks will almost certainly be used on a signal caller. But, if GM John Dorsey is ready to buck popular opinion and target, say, Baker Mayfield rather than Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold, he could get his man at No. 4.

The addition of Hyde was one of several to the Browns’ offense this offseason, joining quarterback Tyrod Taylor and wide receiver Jarvis Landry. With a short-term quarterback in place, the Browns could also elect to trade the No. 1 overall pick to stash selections while also taking a quarterback at No. 4.

The Browns may also target North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb with the No. 1 pick. Cleveland already has four picks within the first 35 selections of this year’s draft.