2018 April - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Cut Jeremy Langford, 3 Others

April 13th, 2018 at 5:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jeremy Langford‘s four-plus months as a New York Jet may be over after the team made the decision to waive the running back on Friday. Newsday’s Calvin Watkins tweets the Jets also cut quarterback Joel Stave, wide receiver Daniel Williams and running back Jahad Thomas.

Langford landed with the Jets as a practice squad player in December, and the team kept him via reserve/futures contract in January. Matt Forte‘s former backup in Chicago, Langford visited the Giants and Dolphins in November before catching on with the Jets. But his career has not been the same since the Bears made him a then-surprising cut prior to last season.

A former Chicago fourth-rounder in 2015, Langford has not played in a game since the 2016 season. He saw steady work behind Forte in 2015, receiving 148 carries and turning six of those into touchdowns, but observed Jordan Howard usurp him a year later. He’ll now venture back to waivers.

The Jets also signed Stave to a reserve/futures deal in January. Both he and Thomas signed with the team’s practice squad in December as well.

Contract Details: Landry, Wallace, RG3

April 13th, 2018 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from some the recently agreed-upon contracts around the NFL.

Jarvis Landry‘s five-year, $75.5MM Browns contract will come with $34MM fully guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). This figure, which is a tad less than Landry likely would have earned if he was franchise-tagged twice, places Landry fifth among wideouts. The $47MM in total guarantees are third all-time, behind only DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Evans.
Another wideout has a somewhat bizarre clause in his Eagles deal. The defending Super Bowl champions will pay Mike Wallace an additional $585K if he weighs less than 250 pounds when they open their offseason program on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Wallace signed a one-year deal with a base value of $1.9MM, so Monday — barring an alarming discovery — will presumably be a nice bonus for the veteran deep threat.
The only guaranteed money in Robert Griffin III‘s one-year, $1.1MM deal with the Ravens is a $100K signing bonus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Bears To Sign WR Bennie Fowler

April 13th, 2018 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

In an offseason that’s seen the Bears overhaul their receiving corps, another name will be added to the mix. Chicago are bringing in Bennie Fowler on a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Broncos non-tendered Fowler last month, sending the former UDFA into the veteran sector of free agency. The Michigan State alum played four seasons in Denver, serving as an auxiliary wideout in the Demaryius Thomas– and Emmanuel Sanders-dominated passing attack.

Fowler showed some promise during his first run of action in 2015, making a key catch in the Broncos’ narrow divisional-round win over the Steelers and hauling in a two-point conversion in Super Bowl 50 that doubled as Peyton Manning‘s final pass, but the Broncos did not view him as a fit at the near-$2MM rate it would have cost them to retain Fowler via RFA tender.

The 6-foot-1 pass-catcher enjoyed his most statistically productive season in 2017, grabbing 29 receptions for a career-high 350 yards. He’ll join new Bears wideouts Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel.

Mark Sanchez Facing Four-Game Suspension

April 13th, 2018 at 4:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mark Sanchez is not currently on an NFL roster, but if he lands with a team for what would be a 10th season, he won’t be eligible to play for a bit.

Barring a successful appeal, the free agent quarterback will be suspended four games, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). NFL.com’s James Palmer adds (via Twitter) this was for a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

The 31-year-old passer released a statement (via Instagram) about being “blindsided” by the news.

“During the past 9 years as an NFL player I have been subject to 73 drug tests — an average of over 8 tests per season — and all but one have been clean,” Sanchez said. “I have taken the same regimen of supplements for the past five years without any issues. The timing and results of my tests establish circumstances of unknowing supplement contamination, not the use of performance enhancing substances.”

Sanchez has been connected to the Bears and Seahawks’ reserve-quarterback vacancies at different points this offseason. However, the Bears signed Chase Daniel. The Seahawks’ Stephen Morris addition likely still leaves them in need of a veteran backup, but this news will not help Sanchez’s cause. He spent the 2017 season in Chicago but didn’t attempt a pass in a game. Sanchez played for the Cowboys in 2016 after failing to beat out Trevor Siemian for the Broncos’ starting job that summer.

Texans Claim TE Matt Lengel

April 13th, 2018 at 4:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have been awarded tight end Matt Lengel off of waivers from the Browns. In order to make room, the team cut quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Lengel was one of seven players dropped by Cleveland on Thursday, along with tight end Gavin Escobar, linebacker Max Bullough, defensive back C.J. Smith, wide receivers Bug Howard and Larry Pinkard, and running back Kelvin Taylor. Smith also found a new home on Friday after being claimed by the Broncos.

Lengel, 27, first entered the league as a UDFA with the Bengals in 2015. In 2016, he hooked on with the Patriots where he caught his only NFL touchdown to date. Last year, he was waived/injured by the Pats and found his way to the Browns practice squad. He earned a promotion midway through the year and saw time in a December loss to the Bears.

There’s an opportunity for Lengel to make the Texans’ final cut. He joins a TE group that presently includes Stephen Anderson, Ryan Malleck, MyCole Pruitt, Ryan Malleck, and Jevoni Robinson.

Broncos Claim CB C.J. Smith Off Waivers

April 13th, 2018 at 3:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have claimed former Browns cornerback C.J. Smith off of waivers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. You may recall that Smith was to be traded from the Browns to the Seahawks in March before the deal was called off due to a failed physical.

Had the trade gone through, the Browns would have received a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Instead, they cut ties with him this week and gained nothing in return.

Smith, 25 in May, spent most of the year on the Browns’ practice squad. Towards the end of the year, he earned a promotion to the varsity squad and was on the roster for the final three regular season games.

The Broncos are well set as far as first string cornerbacks go with Bradley Roby and Chris Harris Jr. set to start. Smith will compete to be one of the team’s reserve CBs in a group that presently includes Tramaine Brock, Brendan Langley, Marcus Rios, and Michael Hunter.

Seahawks Sign K Sebastian Janikowski

April 13th, 2018 at 3:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Seabass in Seattle. On Friday, the Seahawks formally signed kicker Sebastian Janikowski. It’s a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Janikowski, 40, was let go by the Raiders in February as they elected to move forward with Giorgio Tavecchio. He left Oakland as one of the most well-known figures in franchise history – and also with a chip on his shoulder. Janikowski took his first visit with the rival Chargers before huddling up with the Seahawks this week.

Janikowski set Raiders records with 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. Janikowski did not see the field in 2017 thanks to a back injury, but his agent says that he is now healthy and ready to get back to his old form.

The team’s press release indicates that Janikowski will not simply be handed the top job. Jason Myers signed a reserve/futures contract with the Seahawks earlier this offseason and the two will be “competing for” the gig, per the Seahawks’ website. The Seahawks are hoping that either Janikowski or Myers will provide them with a stable leg following Blair Walsh’s struggles in 2017.

Latest On Dez Bryant

April 13th, 2018 at 3:03pm CST by Zachary Links

After being released from the Cowboys, Dez Bryant is in search of a new team. As speculation brews about where the wide receiver land, his agent says that everything is on the table.

“Dez and Jerry Jones met earlier today,” Kim Miale of Roc Nation Sports said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). “He was informed that the Cowboys intend to move in another direction. It is a bittersweet time for Dez because he loved playing for the Dallas Cowboys, but he is looking forward to a fresh start with a new organization. We are currently exploring all options.”

Here’s the latest on Dez:

Amidst rumblings that Bryant will look to play for one of the Cowboys’ NFC East rivals, he retweeted a local reporter who wondered whether he would seek to join up with the Redskins, Eagles or Giants.
It doesn’t sound like we should expect to see Bryant in D.C., however. The three-time Pro Bowler is not on the Redskins‘ radar, Mike Jones of USA Today tweets. The Redskins already boast Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson on their wide receiver depth chart, so there isn’t a clear need for someone like Bryant. The Redskins can be expected to bolster that unit through cheaper means between now and the fall and may explore draft prospects and lower cost veterans.
Still, Bryant sounds like a man who will be out for revenge. “If I didn’t have my edge I got it now,“ Bryant tweeted. “I’m sorry they got to feel me it’s personal . . . it’s very personal.”

NFL Draft Rumors: Bears, Nelson, 49ers, Key

April 13th, 2018 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson visited the Bears on Thursday, Josh Norris of NBC Sports tweets. Nelson would be a logical consideration for Chicago at No. 8. New Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand served in the same role at Notre Dame while Nelson was in school and Nelson has said that he would like to play for him again.

Here’s the latest batch of NFL Draft news:

The 49ers, who worked out LSU pass rusher Arden Key earlier this week, hosted him on a Top 30 visit on Friday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Key’s stock may be falling in the eyes of NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, who pulled him from the latest edition of his Top 50 list, but Key still seems to be very much in the mix for the first or second round. As of this writing, The 49ers own the No. 9 pick in the first round and the No. 59 pick in the second round.
OSU defensive end Sam Hubbard will visit the Bengals on Friday, per Rapoport. For what it’s worth, Hubbard has also fallen out of Jeremiah’s top 50 after being ranked No. 41 in the previous edition.
The Bengals took former Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey to dinner on Thursday night, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals already made one major tackle acquisition when they traded for left tackle Cordy Glenn, but McGlinchey could be in consideration as they look to fortify the other side of the line. The Bengals own the No. 21 pick in the draft, which could be the right range to select him.

Cowboys Officially Release Dez Bryant

April 13th, 2018 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. On Friday, the Cowboys officially announced the release of Dez Bryant.

“As an organization we hold Dez Bryant in the highest regard, and we are grateful for his passion, spirit and contributions to this team for the past eight years,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. “He will always be a valued member of our family. Dez and I share a personal and professional relationship that is very strong, and he is one of just a handful of players with whom I have become that close to over the past 30 years. This was not an easy decision. It was made based upon doing what we believe is in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys. We arrived at this crossroad collectively with input from several voices within the organization. Ultimately we determined it was time to go in a new direction.”

The Cowboys, surprisingly, did not offer Bryant a reduction in pay before informing him of their decision. Given Bryant’s contributions to the Cowboys over the years and Jones’ personal admiration of him, one has to wonder why the Cowboys did not release Bryant earlier in the offseason.

Had Bryant been released prior to the start of free agency, he would have had an opportunity to sign elsewhere on a decently sized multi-year deal. Bryant’s performance has undeniably tailed off over the last three years, but he still would have stood out in a generally weak crop of free agent wide receivers. Bryant probably wouldn’t have landed a deal on a par with Sammy Watkins (three-year, $48MM contract with the Chiefs), Allen Robinson (three-year, $42MM contract with Bears), or Paul Richardson (five-year, $40MM contract with Redskins), but an average annual value close to Marqise Lee‘s $8.5MM/year would not have been out of the question.

Here in April, Bryant still figures to draw widespread interest, but his market will be affected by a lack of available dollars and WR1/WR2 vacancies.