2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Vikings, Giants, Norwell, Saints

March 13th, 2018 at 9:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Remember Zac Stacy? The former Rams and Jets running back is attempting an NFL comeback, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who spotted Stacy at Vanderbilt’s Pro Day earlier today. Stacy, who turns 27 next month, hasn’t played since 2015, and announced his retirement at this time last year following an ankle injury. The Rams’ starter as a rookie in 2013, Stacy racked up 973 yards and seven touchdowns during his only campaign as a team’s primary back. New York eventually acquired Stacy for a seventh-round pick, but he managed only 31 total rushes before hanging up his cleats.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Now that Kirk Cousins is closing in on a fully guaranteed deal with the Vikings, at least one source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link) that Minnesota could ask running back Latavius Murray or defensive end Brian Robison to accept a pay cut in 2018. Murray got into the end zone eight times in 2017, but he’s due to count more than $6MM on next year’s cap and isn’t a lock to start given that rookie sensation Dalvin Cook will return from injury. Robison, meanwhile, hasn’t even decided if he’ll play during the upcoming season. If he retires, the Vikings will pick up $3.488MM in cap space, the same total as if he retires.
Guard Andrew Norwell was considered the Giants‘ primary free agent target this offseason, and while he ultimately landed with the Jaguars, New York’s offer was close if not the same as Jacksonville’s, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Norwell is now the league’s highest-paid after receiving $13MM annually (and $30MM guaranteed) on a five-year deal. New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman originally signed Norwell as an undrafted free agent in Carolina, so the connection made plenty of sense, but Norwell simply chose the Jaguars, per Raanan.
New details have emerged on veteran safety Kurt Coleman‘s three-year deal with the Saints, as Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com writes. In total, the pact is worth $16.35MM, but Coleman can earn another $2.25MM via incentives. Coleman will collect $6.2MM in full guarantees, $4.5MM of which will come in the form of a signing bonus. However, Coleman’s new contract is heavily back-loaded, as his 2018 cap charge is just $3.3MM. New Orleans will have a decision to make in 2019, as Coleman has a $500K roster bonus on the third day of the league year — he could be released with $3MM in dead money accelerating onto the club’s cap.

Patriots Re-Sign Nate Ebner

March 13th, 2018 at 9:16pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have re-signed a key special teamer. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that New England has signed safety Nate Ebner to a two-year deal.

The 29-year-old has spent his entire six-year career in New England. After compiling a career-high 19 tackles in 2016, Ebner was limited to only nine games and eight tackles last season. The former sixth-round pick struggled through a shoulder injury early in the season, and he landed on the injured reserve in November after tearing his ACL.

Ebner has also had a successful rugby career. At 17, the Ohio native became the youngest player to join the United States national rugby team, and he proceeded to play in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Ebner didn’t play football throughout high school, and he joined Ohio State as a walk-on during his junior year.

Titans Expected To Re-Sign OL Josh Kline

March 13th, 2018 at 8:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans are closing in on a new deal with free agent guard Josh Kline, and the pact should be signed before free agency opens on Wednesday, per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a four-year, $26MM with $12MM guaranteed with the potential to make up to $27M (Twitter link).

Tennessee claimed Kline off waivers prior to the 2016 campaign, and he proceeded to start 30 games for the club over the next two seasons. Kline, who spent the first three years of his career in New England, graded as the NFL’s No. 22 guard among 77 qualifiers in 2017, per Pro Football Focus.

As a unit, the Titans’ offensive line took a step backward last year, as they slipped from fifth to 23rd in adjusted line yards. Kline will now be re-signed, but fellow starting guard Quinton Spain is a restricted free agent. Tennessee used an original round tender on Spain, so it won’t reap any draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere on an un-matched offer sheet.

Kline had been scheduled to join a free agent guard class that also includes Andrew Norwell, Josh Sitton, Jack Mewhort, Matt Slauson, Zach Fulton, and Senio Kelemete, among others. PFR’s Zach Links recently ranked Kline as the fourth-best option among free agent interior lineman, behind Norwell (who has already landed a massive deal with the Jaguars), Sitton, and Mewhort.

Jordy Nelson To Visit Raiders

March 13th, 2018 at 8:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Jordy Nelson already has one potential suitor. The veteran wideout is set to visit with the Raiders on Wednesday, reports Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (via Twitter). Nelson was released by the Packers early today.

Nelson has one natural connection to Oakland, as Gehlken tweets that former Packers receivers coach Edgar Bennett is currently in the same role with Oakland. Furthermore, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie was in Green Bay when Nelson was drafted. Of course, Nelson would also be an easy fit in the Raiders high-powered offense. With Jon Gruden at the helm, Derek Carr under center, and Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree requiring coverage, Nelson should have plenty of opportunities to put up numbers in Oakland.

Nelson’s release wasn’t a huge surprise, especially after the Packers inked tight end Jimmy Graham to a pricey three-year deal earlier today. The 32-year-old had been considered a cap casualty for some time, as the organization will save a hefty $10.2MM by moving on from the wideout. Considering his track record, Nelson should be able to secure a modest deal in free agency. Last offseason, the receiver had said he intended to play another two-to-four seasons.

The 2008 second-round pick had spent his entire career with the Packers, winning a Super Bowl and earning a second-team All-Pro nod along the way. Nelson missed the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL, but he had compiled at least 1,200 receiving yards in four of his five healthy seasons between 2011 and 2016. With Aaron Rodgers out of the lineup, Nelson’s numbers took a dip in 2017. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has already said he doesn’t expect the veteran wideout to rejoin the organization for less money

Jets To Sign LB Avery Williamson

March 13th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are expected to sign linebacker Avery Williamson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Williamson will earn $22.5MM over three years with $16MM guaranteed, per Rapoport (Twitter link).

Gang Green will continue its spending spree on the eve of the free agent period, as the club has already arguably the premier defensive player on the board — cornerback Trumaine Johnson — plus two quarterbacks in Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater. Given that New York ranked in the top-five in available cap space heading into this week, it should come as no surprise that general manager Mike Maccagnan is flexing financial muscle.

The Jets were first linked to Williamson, who spent the first four years of his career with the Titans, on Tuesday. Williamson reportedly turned down a four-year, $12MM deal to remain in Tennessee. In New York, he’ll stick in a 3-4 scheme and play alongside former first-round pick Darron Lee. The Jets’ signing of Williamson should prevent the return of fellow linebacker Demario Davis, who started all 16 games for New York a season ago.

Williamson, 26, has been an extremely durable player since entering the league as fifth-round pick in 2015, as he’s missed only a single contest during that time. Last season, Williamson started all 16 games for the Titans while racking up 52 tackles, three sacks, and graded as the NFL’s No. 10 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.

PFR ranked Williamson as the eighth-best free agent linebacker, but among those we listed above him, only Anthony Hitchens has landed a new deal, while Paul Posluszny announced his retirement.

[RELATED: Jets Depth Chart]

Titans Sign RB Dion Lewis To Four-Year Deal

March 13th, 2018 at 8:20pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans have agreed to sign running back Dion Lewis to a four-year deal, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Lewis’ new contract is worth $20MM in total and contains $3MM in incentives, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). He’ll collect $11.5MM in guarantees, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The running back’s decision ultimately came down to the Titans and his former team, the Patriots (via ESPN’s Dianna Russini on Twitter). This is the second former New England player to head to Tennessee, as the Titans signed cornerback Malcolm Butler earlier today.

Lewis is an ideal pass-catching alternative for number-one running back Derrick Henry. When healthy, Lewis was one of Tom Brady‘s top targets over the past four seasons, and he’s gradually improved in the rushing game, as well. 2017 may have been Lewis’ best NFL season, as he finished the campaign with a career-high 896 rushing yards and six touchdowns (5.0 yards per carry). He also added another 32 receptions for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Pro Football Focus was seemingly a fan of Lewis’ versatility, as he ranked fifth among 58 eligible running backs. Lewis placed 29th in our rankings of the top-50 free agents.

With Lewis out of the picture, the Patriots will likely lean even more on James White in the passing game. Meanwhile, Henry and Lewis will likely see the bulk of the snaps for the Titans, with David Fluellen and Khalfani Muhammad currently slated as backups.

Steelers Interested In Bringing Back Mike Mitchell

March 13th, 2018 at 8:05pm CST by Ben Levine

While Mike Mitchell is set to test the open market, a return to Pittsburgh is still in the cards. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert spoke to the veteran safety today and expressed interesting in bring him back in 2018. While Mitchell is planning on hitting free agency, Pelissero notes that the “door remains open.” The veteran was released by the Steelers earlier this week.

The 30-year-old has spent the past four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he’s started each of his 61 games. Mitchell appeared in 13 games this past season, finishing with 53 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 62nd among 87 safety candidates.

Mitchell was slated to carry a $5MM salary in 2018, which was not workable for the Steelers given their limited room. The safety will have to compete with a deep free agent class and declining skills in pursuit of a new deal, but he should be able to find work as a veteran presence in the secondary. The Steelers could apparently be that team, as Mitchell would realistically be an upgrade over some of their current options, including Robert Golden and J.J. Wilcox.

Cardinals Sign Mike Glennon

March 13th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have signed Mike Glennon, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter) had first reported that the organization was going to sign the quarterback. The deal is worth $8MM over two years.

Glennon now projects to be the No. 2 quarterback on the Cardinals’ depth chart, behind the newly-signed Sam Bradford. Bradford played in just two games for the Vikings last season, so the Cardinals placed considerable value on their backup QB spot. Glennon flamed out in his one month as the Bears’ starter last year, but he was still among the best available QB2 types in this year’s market.

Last year, Glennon inked a three-year, $45MM free agent contract with the Bears after receiving interest from multiple teams. This year, the Cardinals were the only team linked to the 6’7″ signal caller.

Bears To Re-Sign CB Prince Amukamara

March 13th, 2018 at 7:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears are re-signing cornerback Prince Amukamara, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Amukamara will collect $27MM over a three-year term, while roughly $18MM is guaranteed, per Graziano (Twitter links).

Amukamara has long been a starting-caliber NFL cornerback, but teams have thus far been reluctant to commit to the 28-year-old. After beginning his career with the Giants, Amukamara inked a series of successive one-year deals with the Jaguars and Bears in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Once considered an injury risk, Amukamara has dealt with minor ailments over the past two seasons but has appeared in 28 of 32 possible games during that time. Although he hasn’t posted an interception since 2015, Amukamara graded as the No. 41 corner among 141 qualifiers a season ago, per Pro Football Focus. Football Outsiders wasn’t as fond of the former first-round pick’s work, as Amukamara ranked as bottom-10 CB in success rate.

Chicago’s pass defense was a strength in 2017, as the unit ranked 14th in DVOA. As such, the Bears have shown a willingness to bring much of their secondary back for another run. Not only have they re-upped Amukamara, but No. 1 cornerback Kyle Fuller was assigned the transition tag, which could be enough to ward off potential suitors.

Most of the work the Bears have done on the first day of free agency has come on the other side of the ball, however. Chicago has landed wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, plus tight end Trey Burton, in an effort to upgrade quarterback Mitch Trubisky‘s weaponry.

Vikings Interested In CB Ross Cockrell

March 13th, 2018 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Ross Cockrell is on the Vikings radar. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis reports (via Twitter) that the organization is interested in the free agent cornerback. Wolfson adds that the Giants would like to retain the defensive back, but Cockrell’s decision will likely come down to money.

The 2014 fourth-rounder out of Duke spent time with the Bills and Steelers before joining the Giants via trade last September. The 26-year-old had another productive campaign, compiling 50 tackles, 11 passes defended, and three interceptions in 16 games (nine starts). Cockrell was listed 39th in Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the 120 eligible cornerbacks. Our own Dallas Robinson ranked Cockrell 13th among all free agent cornerbacks, noting that he was an ideal option for those seeking a bargain.

The Vikings are apparently seeking reinforcement at the position, as they previously expressed interest in free agent Bryce Callahan. Minnesota already has All-Pro Xavier Rhodes and former first-rounder Trae Waynes slotted into their starting lineup, but Cockrell could be an upgrade over the likes of Mackensie Alexander, Jack Tocho, and Horace Richardson.