HEADLINES

Month: March 2018

Ravens C Ryan Jensen To Visit Bucs, Colts

March 14th, 2018 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens free agent center Ryan Jensen will visit Buccaneers and then the Colts, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

The Jets, who have signed Spencer Long to fill their center vacancy, liked Jensen, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). However, they were warded off by his price tag.

Jensen started all 16 games last season, but he was relatively experienced before 2017, as he’d started a total of nine games in the three years prior. But Jensen has youth on his side, as he’s still only 26 years old, and he graded as the league’s No. 9 center a season ago, per Pro Football Focus.

With Weston Richburg off the board, Jensen is the best pure center remaining on the open market. However, Jensen almost surely wouldn’t play center in Indianapolis, where the Colts have former first-round pick Ryan Kelly at the pivot. Tampa Bay also has a center in Ali Marpet, but he does have experience at guard.

Lions Re-Sign LB Nick Bellore

March 14th, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have re-signed linebacker Nick Bellore, the club announced today.

While Bellore is a linebacker in title, he was essentially a special teams-only player in 2017. The 28-year-old Bellore played only 108 defensive snaps a season ago, but saw nearly triple that action on special teams. Detroit general manager Bob Quinn has shown a willingness to pay for ST prowess in the past, and the Lions finished fifth in special teams DVOA last season.

Every one of Detroit’s free agent forays has been on the defensive side of the ball thus far, as the club has signed linebackers Devon Kennard and Christian Jones, plus re-signed defensive backs Nevin Lawson and Tavon Wilson.

Patriots, Bucs In On Trent Murphy

March 14th, 2018 at 10:19am CST by Zachary Links

It’s down to three teams for Trent Murphy. The Patriots, Buccaneers, and the incumbent Redskins are all in the mix for the outside linebacker, according to ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine (on Twitter). 

The Redskins extended Murphy an offer over the weekend, but he elected to test the market before putting pen to paper. He’s likely glad that he did, given the healthy market for his services.

Murphy missed all of 2017 due to multiple injuries, including tears to his ACL and MCL in addition to offseason foot surgery. He also has a PED suspension in his past. To his credit, he showed promise in the previous season by registering nine sacks off the bench.

Trey Flowers and Eric Lee served as the Patriots’ starting defensive ends last season and are both under contract for 2018. The duo combined for 10 sacks last season. The Patriots entered Wednesday having the 21st-most available cap space in the NFL at $22.41MM.

As for Tampa Bay, which also locked up defensive tackle Beau Allen on Wednesday, it has William Gholston and Robert Ayers returning at defensive end after working as the starters for the majority of last year. The Bucs also have 2016 second-round pick Noah Spence, who was limited to six games last season.

The Redskins originally selected Murphy in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Stanford. Outside of missing all of last season, he had missed just one game through his first three seasons.

Chargers Re-Sign OT Michael Schofield

March 14th, 2018 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have agreed to a two-year deal with tackle Michael Schofield, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter). Schofield was ticketed for free agency, but he’s now under contract through the 2019 season. 

[RELATED: Chargers Depth Chart]

Schofield, 28 in November, appeared in 15 games with five starts for the Bolts last season. Before that, he started for the Broncos at right tackle in 2015 and at right guard in 2016.

The Bolts claimed him off waivers in September of last year, but they weren’t the only team after him. The Lions, Redskins, Vikings, and Saints all tried to snag him, but the Chargers won out due to their higher position in the waiver order.

Schofield graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 61 ranked tackle last year, per Pro Football Focus. His best season, by their measure, was in ’16 when he was playing on the interior.

While it’s possible Schofield could return as a starter, that’s only likely to occur if Los Angeles parts ways with right tackle Joe Barksdale. The Chargers do have other offensive line free agents, including Matt Slauson, Kenny Wiggins, and Michael Ola, so Schofield will serve as critical depth, at the least.

Sebastian Janikowski To Meet With Chargers

March 14th, 2018 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

Former Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski is expected to visit the Chargers, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Raiders opted against re-signing Janikowski, leaving him to explore the open market.

Janikowski, who turns 40 on March 2, will leave the Raiders as one of the most well-known figures in franchise history. He also has his place in the record books with franchise records of 268 regular season games played and 1,799 points scored. Meanwhile, he has the most field goals from 50+ yards in NFL history with 55.

Los Angeles ranked 31st in special teams DVOA a season ago, and was (by far) the worst kicking team in the league. Not only did the Chargers give up 22.2 points of field position through their paltry field goal/extra point attempts, but the club’s first two losses of the season were direct results of poor kicking efforts.

The Chargers used four different kickers in 2017, and while they may have interest in re-signing at least one (Nick Novak), Janikownski could take precedence.

Jets Still Interested In Re-Signing Morris Clairborne

March 14th, 2018 at 9:45am CST by Dallas Robinson

Even after landing the top corner on the market in Trumaine Johnson, the Jets are still open to re-signing fellow defensive back Morris Claiborne, Calvin Watkins of Newsday reports (Twitter link).

Gang Green entered the offeason hoping to acquire two starting cornerbacks, and they’ve already signed one in Johnson, who inked a five-year, $72.5MM deal with the Jets on Tuesday. With Johnson now on board, Claiborne would slot in as New York’s No. 2 corner if he’s retained.

Typically an injury risk, Clairborne stayed healthy for 15 games a season ago and posted one interception. He entered the free agent period ranked as PFR’s No. 5 cornerback and No. 30 free agent overall.

Giants To Sign OT Nate Solder

March 14th, 2018 at 9:44am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are expected to sign former Patriots left tackle Nate Solder, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a four-year, $62MM deal which contains $32MM guarnateed, tweets Rapoport.

The Patriots have lost some key free agents already this week. Wide receiver Danny Amendola is signing with the rival Dolphins, running back Dion Lewis has fled to the Titans, and now Solder has inked a deal with the Giants. The Patriots expected that Solder’s market would get too expensive for their liking and a Lewis re-signing was far from certain, but few expected the Pats to lose all three notables to the open market.

Solder, for his part, drew plenty of interest around the league before signing with Big Blue. The Texans, who fielded one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines in 2017, were reportedly a finalist for Solder, while the Browns were also targeting the former Patriot. This year’s crop of free agent offensive tackles was extremely weak, so Solder unsurprisingly was in high demand.

The Giants, of course, currently have a former-first round pick — Ereck Flowers — at left tackle, but he’ll now presumably be moved to guard, traded, or cut. With Weston Richburg already out the door, and fellow free agent Justin Pugh possibly not far behind, it’s possible New York will need Flowers to play on the interior of its offensive line in 2018.

Solder isn’t exactly a world-beater, as he graded as the NFL’s No. 32 tackle in 2017, per Pro Football Focus. But he’s been extremely durable over the course of his seven-year career, and that availability is certainly worth something. Aside from a lost 2015 campaign, Solder has appeared in at least 15 games in every season of his NFL tenure.

Solder is now the highest-paid tackle in the league by a wide margin, as his $15.625MM annual average is more than $2MM above Trent Williams‘ annual salary. That’s a testament to Solder’s leverage as the only high-level free agent tackle available this spring. The Giants will get their franchise left tackle, but they’ll pay a hefty price.

The Patriots, meanwhile, don’t currently have a clear left tackle on their roster. Reserves Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle are both free agents, while 2017 draftee Antonio Garcia likely isn’t ready for a full-time role.

[RELATED: Giants Depth Chart]

Contract Details: Brees, Butler, T. Johnson

March 14th, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details from the latest contracts signed in the NFL, with all links going to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Buccaneers To Sign DL Beau Allen

March 14th, 2018 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

Beau Allen has officially flown the nest. The former Eagles defensive lineman will sign with the Buccaneers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $15MM and could be worth up to $16.5MM with incentives, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter).

Allen was being pursued heavily by both the Bucs and the Lions. The Lions lost Haloti Ngata to free agency on Tuesday when he signed with the Eagles, a move that displaced Allen. Ultimately, Tampa Bay won out.

Allen, 26, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles. He was extremely durable that period, as the only game he missed during his Philadelphia tenure was a meaningless Week 17 contest last season. In 2017, Allen — a one-technique tackle — appeared on roughly 41% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. He’s PFR’s No. 6-ranked interior defender.

The Buccaneers add Allen to a group of defensive tackles that also includes Channing Ward and Stevie Tu’ikolovatu. Sealver Siliga and Clinton McDonald are both free agents this offseason, possibly opening the door to extended playing time for Allen. Tampa Bay allowed 117.5 yards per game on the ground last season, which ranked No. 22 in the NFL.

The Eagles took Allen in the seventh round of the 2014 draft and he’s started three games in each of the last two seasons. With acquisitions such as Ngata and Michael Bennett to an already-stellar defensive line, it became pretty clear the Eagles weren’t going to be able to retain Allen’s services.

[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]

Texans To Sign OL Zach Fulton

March 14th, 2018 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are expected to sign Chiefs free agent interior lineman Zach Fulton, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will average roughly $7.5MM per season, though the length of the deal is not currently known.

Last year, Fulton appeared in 15 games (12 starts) for the Chiefs, playing primarily at center. Fulton earned an iffy 68.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus, though the advanced metrics were high on his pass blocking.

Fulton figures to play guard for the Texans rather than center. He saw time at both positions over the years for Kansas City, so there won’t be a lengthy transition for him. The Texans signed ex-Chiefs guard Jeff Allen in 2016 for $7MM per year and that contract did not turned out as planned. Still, they feel good about going back to the KC well this time around.

Given that they don’t own a first- or second-round pick, Houston is revamping its porous offensive line through free agency. The Texans have already landed former Bills tackle Seantrel Henderson, while Nate Solder — the best tackle on the open market — is deciding between the Texans and Giants.

[RELATED: Texans Depth Chart]

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