2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins Retain Ja’Wuan James

March 13th, 2018 at 4:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Ja’Wuan James is staying put. As the right tackle teased on his Instagram account, he’ll remain with the Dolphins. There won’t be any renegotiation of his deal, as he’ll remain under contract for $9.3MM in 2018, per Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (on Twitter).

The Dolphins were shopping their longtime right tackle this week, presumably to see if a market developed prior to James’ fifth-year option becoming fully guaranteed on Wednesday. The sides were discussing a new deal on Monday, but James had enough leverage to hold his ground.

James’ new deal gives him an opportunity to stay in sunny Miami and build on what was arguably the best season of his career to date, even though it was shortened by injury.

For his eight games, James graded as the league’s 17th-ranked offensive tackle last season, per Pro Football Focus. However, the former first-round pick has seen injuries cut two of his seasons short. He has yet to prove he can be a consistent, healthy option in Miami, likely leading to the trade efforts.

Ravens, WR John Brown In Talks

March 13th, 2018 at 4:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens may have found the speedy wide receiver they’ve been looking for. John Brown is “pretty far down the road” in negotiations with Baltimore, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

Brown is coming off the worst season of his NFL tenure, as injuries limited him to just ten games. During that time, Brown managed only 21 receptions for 299 yards and two scores. As recently as 2015, however, the now 27-year-old Brown put up 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s reportedly healthy.

The Ravens, at one point, were connected to Jarvis Landry. Brown represents a cheaper, though less accomplished option for the slot. One could argue that he’s also quicker out of the gate.

Giants Interested In OT Nate Solder

March 13th, 2018 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are among the teams with interest in tackle Nate Solder, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). The Patriots free agent stands as the best available tackle in a weak market and figures to have a number of suitors.

The Giants are in serious need of offensive line help and have already missed out on top target Andrew Norwell. Their interest in retaining their own free agent lineman Justin Pugh is unclear, but in any case, Solder would represent a clear upgrade over him. Depending on how things shake out, a Solder signing wouldn’t necesarily preclude the Giants from re-signing Pugh, who can also offer help on the interior.

Solder, 30 in April, has been among the league’s better tackles since entering the league in 2011. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 32 tackle last season and he was in the top 20 in 2016. You could say 2017 was a down year for the veteran, but he was playing through injuries and figures to be better in 2018, if healthy.

Cardinals Release Adrian Peterson

March 13th, 2018 at 4:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Adrian Peterson‘s brief tenure with the Cardinals has come to an end. The team cut the veteran running back today, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. We learned yesterday that the organization was planning to move on from Peterson. As our own Zach Links pointed out, the move allows the team to avoid a $750K bonus that was due on Friday.

Peterson could conceivably return to the Cardinals at a cheaper rate than his scheduled 2018 $2.881MM cap charge. The Patriots, Seahawks, and Giants expressed interest in the running back before he joined the Saints last offseason, and the Ravens had considered a trade for Peterson before he was dealt to the Cardinals. Peterson is set to turn 33 at the end of the month, and following a relatively underwhelming season, it’s uncertain if there will be as many suitors this time around.

The running back struggled during his brief stint with the Saints, but he saw a bit more success after joining Arizona. In six starts, Peterson ran for 448 yards and two touchdowns on 129 carries (3.5 yards per carry). While these numbers are relatively respectable, the advanced numbers indicate that the future Hall of Famer may be running out of steam. Football Outsiders ranked Peterson 46th among 47 tailbacks in both DYAR and DVOA, metrics which measure overall and per-play value.

After releasing Peterson, the Cardinals are now rostering five backup options to David Johnson, including Elijhaa Penny, D.J. Foster, T.J. Logan, Bronson Hill, and Darius Victor.

Texans To Sign OT Seantrel Henderson

March 13th, 2018 at 4:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are signing former Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Henderson is expected to provide depth at the tackle position. His deal is for one year and worth up to $4MM, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Henderson has had a strange tenure in the NFL thus far. A former first-stringer in Buffalo, Henderson was hit with a ten-game substance abuse policy suspension in 2017, his second ban after previously serving a four-game suspension. For his part, Henderson says he was only using marijuana to help treat symptoms of his Crohn’s disease.

In other Texans news, Houston has agreed to sign former Jacksonville corner Aaron Colvin. They remain interested in running back Dion Lewis, though Adrian Peterson is making his case to join the team.

Jaguars To Sign WR Donte Moncrief

March 13th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief is staying in the AFC South. Moncrief will sign with the Jaguars, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He will earn a base salary of base salary of roughly $7MM, while incentives can bring the total value to $9.6MM, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.

The addition of the 24-year-old will help to offset the loss of Allen Robinson, who agreed to a deal with the Bears early this morning. Moncrief will pair with Marqise Lee, who has been retained on a new deal, atop the receiver depth chart. Jacksonville could conceivably look to move on from one of their wideout, as they’re rostering 10 players at the position, including Allen Hurns, Keelan Cole, and Dede Westbrook.

Word on Moncrief’s compensation is not yet in, but it’s likely to be a fat deal given the contracts given to wide receivers thus far in free agency. The 2014 third-round pick had a relatively quiet 2017 campaign, hauling in 26 catches for 391 yards and two scores in 12 games (eight starts). His best season came in 2015, when he collected 733 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Browns To Sign OT Donald Stephenson

March 13th, 2018 at 3:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are set to sign offensive tackle Donald Stephenson, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal for the former Bronco.

Stephenson, 30 in September, saw his season cut short with a torn calf muscle. He appeared in seven games with four starts before being shut down for the year. Stephenson’s 303 snaps were not enough to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but in a larger sample, he would have graded out as the 12th-worst tackle in the league.

The Broncos will have some work to do on the offense line after the departure of Stephenson. They attempted to trade for Dolphins tackle Ju’Wuan James, but Miami informed them that he will be staying put.

The Browns also signed defensive end Chris Smith earlier today and tendered a contract to exclusive rights free agent wide receiver Josh Gordon. The Browns were also active on the trade market last week as they acquired Jarvis Landry, Tyrod Taylor, Damarious Randall and jettisoned defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

Bills To Sign S Rafael Bush

March 13th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are signing safety Rafael Bush to a two-year deal for $3.5 MM, ESPN’s Mike Rodak tweets. Bush was among the Saints’ free agents this offseason.

It includes $900,000 guaranteed and a $600,000 signing bonus, and base salaries of $1.3 MM in 2018, and $1.4 MM in 2019. He will also receive workout bonuses of $100,000 each year. Rodak also reports there are up to $500,000 in playing time incentives, which could propel the deal to a top value of $4.5 MM.

Bush was among the best safeties in last year’s free agent class, but we did not have him ranked in the top 15 in this go ’round. That’s partially due to the depth of this year’s safety market, but more so because Bush served strictly as a backup for New Orleans last year. He appeared in 14 games — with zero starts — and totaled 22 tackles with one sack.

A fixture as a Saints depth piece for much of this decade, Bush is going into his age-31 season. The former UDFA is likely to supplement Buffalo starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Hyde is signed to a five-year, $30MM deal and Poyer to a four-season contract worth $13MM. Those two each graded as top-15 safeties in the view of Pro Football Focus.

Bush has started 18 games in his seven-year career. He played 236 snaps for the Saints last season and now looks like Buffalo’s No. 3 safety for 2018. This is now a position the Bills don’t really need to worry about for a bit.

Jets Agree To Re-Sign Josh McCown

March 13th, 2018 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

This was not the news Jets fans were hoping for. After losing out on Kirk Cousins and Case Keenum, the Jets have agreed to re-sign veteran quarterback Josh McCown to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

McCown’s quality 2017 season will earn him a raise as well. The soon-to-be 39-year-old quarterback will make $10MM this season, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. This comes in north of McCown’s $6MM agreement from 2017.

The Jets’ work at quarterback likely is not done. Gang Green is reportedly working on a new deal with Teddy Bridgewater and the Jets are almost certainly considering this year’s top quarterbacks with their No. 6 overall pick. Bridgewater may not be thrilled about the crowded nature of that QB depth chart, but he’d be hard-pressed to find a team willing to sign him without a contingency plan (or two).

This now could crowd the Jets’ quarterback room. Although the same three passers are under contract from last season, with Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg still on the roster, that’s going to change once the Jets’ draft concludes. And Bridgewater could still be an option, despite McCown’s arrival. The Jets won’t figure to have to pay too steep of a price to sign Bridgewater given his injury past, and whatever rookie the team selects will be attached to a cheap deal for years. Given the team’s cap setup, it can easily make a McCown-Bridgewater-rookie arrangement work.

McCown will now be set to play an 18th NFL season. But his 17th did well to help some Jets pass-catchers. He established new career highs with 18 touchdown passes, 2,926 passing yards and a 67 percent completion rate. Both Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse played well with McCown, who likely will now be tasked with mentoring a higher-profile young passer than the ones he was previously tasked with tutoring.

Packers To Release Jordy Nelson

March 13th, 2018 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

After signing Jimmy Graham to a lucrative three-year deal, something had to give for the Packers. The other shoe has dropped as the Packers are set to release wide receiver Jordy Nelson, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Nelson has been regarded as a potential cap casualty all offseason, along with fellow wide receiver Randall Cobb. Ultimately, it’s Nelson being shown the door.

The Packers will save $10.2MM by cutting their longtime pass-catcher. This will end Green Bay’s brief stint carrying three eight-figure-per-year wideouts on its roster. Davante Adams signed a four-year extension worth $58MM and will now be the No. 1 wideout going forward in Wisconsin.

It’s the end of an era for the Packers. Nelson has been with Green Bay since being selected as a second-round pick in 2008 and has helped the team reach tremendous heights. Nelson was a huge part of the Packers’ 31-25 victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV as he caught nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. That TD was the first score of the game and helped set the tone for Green Bay.

Unfortunately, Nelson did not look like his usual self in 2017. The 32-year-old (33 in May) had just 53 catches on the year for 482 yards and six touchdowns. That’s a significant dropoff from his 97 catches, 1,257 yards, and league-leading 14 touchdowns in 2016. He finishes his Packers run with four 1,000-yard seasons, adding five touchdowns in the playoffs.

Some of that, naturally, probably came because of Aaron Rodgers‘ absence. He’s served as Rodgers’ favorite target for many years. But Nelson is on the downside. However, he said last offseason he wanted to play between two and four more seasons. And judging by the way receivers are being paid this week, Nelson could see a decent market despite his age and down season.