Browns To Sign LB Mychal Kendricks?
3:37pm: Kendricks denies that he’s signed with the Browns, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
2:14pm: The Browns have agreed to sign free agent linebacker Mychal Kendricks to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Kendricks, who was released by the Eagles on May 22, drew immediate interest on the open market, and took meetings with both the Raiders and Vikings before visiting the Browns on Friday. After leaving Oakland and Minnesota without a contract, Kendricks has now landed a single-season pact with Cleveland, a deal which will allow the 27-year-old to hit free agency again next spring.
At first glance, the Browns are something of an odd fit for Kendricks, as Cleveland already employs two linebackers — Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert — who played 100% of the club’s defensive snaps a year ago. Jamie Collins is expected to return from injury as a full-time player, leaving even less potential playing time for Kendricks. A future trade could hypothetically be possible, but both Kirksey and Collins recently signed long-term deals with the Browns, while Schobert is under contract at cheap rates for the next two seasons.
Cleveland still has the most salary cap space in the NFL (Over the Cap listed the Browns with nearly $70MM in reserves prior to the Kendricks signing), so perhaps the club is merely looking to add depth. Oakland and Minnesota are also largely set at linebacker, meaning Kendricks may have experienced limited playing time in either of those destinations, so he likely accepted his largest financial offer. And while Kendricks hasn’t typically been a special teams ace, he did play roughly 30% of the Eagles’ ST snaps in 2016, so he can be a factor there.
Long a subject of trade rumors, Kendricks appeared in 15 games and made 13 starts for Philadelphia in 2017. A season-ending injury to fellow linebacker Jordan Hicks allowed Kendricks to reclaim his spot in the Eagles’ starting lineup, and he subsequently posted 51 tackles and two sacks while grading as the NFL’s No. 9 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.
Rob Gronkowski Confirms He’ll Attend Patriots Minicamp
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski didn’t attend voluntary workout sessions last month, but he will show up for mandatory minicamp next week, as he confirmed to reporters at a charity event on Sunday, per CBS Boston.
“We’ve got mandatory minicamp this week,” Gronkowski said. “So I’ll be there this week. I’ll be full go. I’m looking forward to it. Can’t wait to get back to work. I’m excited.”
While Gronkowski hasn’t publicly addressed his motivation behind skipping organized team activities, his contract situation is likely a key factor. Gronk, who is signed through the 2019 campaign, is scheduled to earn an $8MM base salary in 2018, but New England is reportedly working on “tweaking” his deal. The Patriots are expected to add some sort of incentive package to Gronkowski’s pact, as they did in 2017.
Gronkowski, of course, has had an eventful offseason, and reportedly considered retirement after battling a variety of health issues. In 2017, Gronk was on the field for 14 games, and managed 69 receptions, 1,084 yards, and eight touchdowns, all of which placed him within the top-five among tight ends.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Brady, Jets, Dunlap
Bill Musgrave, who was elevated to Broncos‘ offensive coordinator once Mike McCoy was dismissed after Week 10 of the 2017 campaign, could not effectuate many wholesale changes to the offense midseason. But as Mike Klis of 9News.com writes, Musgrave is installing an almost completely different offense this year. “Yeah, it’s pretty much all different,” Musgrave said.
Denver ranked 27th in the league in scoring last season, and everyone from the front office down believed that McCoy’s complex system was a big reason for that, although the team’s offense has been in a funk since the second half of the 2014 season. However, the Broncos hope that Case Keenum will bring much-needed stability to the quarterback position, and that Musgrave’s more streamlined offense — which was developed along with GM John Elway, head coach Vance Joseph, and personnel advisor Gary Kubiak — will lead to improved results in 2018.
Now let’s take look at a few other AFC notes and rumors:
- Although Tom Brady has not announced when he will return to the Patriots, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, just like owner Robert Kraft, expects him to be present for the team’s mandatory minicamp this week. Brady’s backups, Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling, have gotten increased work in Brady’s absence, and it remains unclear as to how Brady will be received by head coach Bill Belichick when he returns. While Brady will likely not have much trouble making up for lost time, his absence has created plenty of buzz in the NFL world, and it is not helping the already palpable tension between him and his coach.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says Patriots second-year TE Jacob Hollister, who made the team as a UDFA last year, has added some noticeable weight and strength and has looked good in OTAs. Hollister will compete for No. 3 TE reps with free agent signee Troy Niklas, who comes with a better draft pedigree but who has not done much in his first few professional seasons.
- Jets CEO Christopher Johnson‘s pro-player stance on the national anthem issue will likely not be a major factor when it comes to luring free agents, but Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says it is suggestive of a player-friendly environment, which could be a selling point if a player has narrowed his choice to a couple of teams. In the same piece, Cimini notes that the team is rededicating itself to a physical and prominent running game, which free agent signee Isaiah Crowell will lead, and that Quincy Enunwa still expects to be ready for the start of training camp.
- Steelers‘ 2018 second-round choice James Washington is the presumptive favorite to assume the team’s No. 3 WR job following the draft-day trade of Martavis Bryant. But as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, Justin Hunter — a former second-round pick of the Titans whose star never rose like some expected — has been getting a few first-team reps during this year’s OTAs, and he is making the most of them. Hunter, like Bryant, is a lanky deep threat capable of making plays downfield, and he hopes to become a consistent target for Ben Roethlisberger.
- Both Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap are entering the final year of their respective contracts, and as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes, the Bengals clearly want to keep Atkins around long-term. Whether or not they want to keep Dunlap could hinge not only on the performance of the young defensive lineman already on the roster, but on next year’s crop of rookies. 2019 is already being labeled “the year of the defensive lineman,” and if the 2019 crop of collegiate prospects lives up to its billing, Cincinnati could be perfectly content to let Dunlap walk. We learned yesterday that Dunlap would end his short-lived holdout and report to the team.
- In the same piece linked above, Dehner names Bengals‘ 2018 fifth-round choice Darius Phillips as the late-round pick who has stood out the most thus far. Phillips has been deployed as a slot corner in spring practices and has looked sharp and instinctive. He also has been getting a shot at punt returner, as he is reportedly electric with the ball in his hands.
South Notes: Tepper, Mariota, Bucs
David Tepper may have been a minority owner of the Steelers before purchasing the Panthers for a league-record $2.275 billion, but he does not exactly fit the mold of your prototypical NFL owner. In a fascinating piece on the self-made billionaire, Kent Babb of the Washington Post describes how the enigmatic, unpolished Tepper could clash with the majority of the league’s straightlaced owners, and he wonders whether the league will ultimately change Tepper, or if Tepper might change the league. One way or another, Babb’s piece is worth a read.
Now for more from the league’s south divisions:
- Despite some concerns that Titans QB Marcus Mariota could require a clean-up procedure on his knee this offseason, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com says Mariota never had such a procedure and that he has looked like his usual self in spring practices thus far. Wyatt adds that, while Blaine Gabbert appears to be entrenched as Mariota’s backup going into the 2018 season, the team is more likely to keep Luke Falk as the No. 3 QB rather than risk sneaking him onto the practice squad.
- The top four spots on the Buccaneers‘ WR depth chart are already spoken for, but Bobo Wilson, a 2017 UDFA who spent much of his rookie campaign on Tampa Bay’s practice squad, is making his case to stick around. As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes, head coach Dirk Koetter has spoken highly of Wilson, who will compete for reps with 2018 fifth-rounder Justin Hunter. Wilson also has the ability to return kicks, which will certainly help his cause.
- The Buccaneers traded a fourth- and sixth-round pick in this year’s draft to move up to the No. 94 overall selection, which they used to select Humboldt State OL Alex Cappa. Auman believes that Cappa may not be a starter right away, but that he will quickly push for a job as a regular on the offensive line (Twitter link).
- Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune believes the Saints were wise to put a “ceiling price” on big-name free agents like Jimmy Graham and Ndamukong Suh this offseason, and he says the approach to Graham and Suh was emblematic of the team’s overall effort to rely more on young, cheap talent rather than high-priced veterans. That shift has been difficult because of New Orleans’ poor draft record in recent years, but while the Saints have a long way to go, Holder says they are moving in the right direction. Indeed, although the offense is heavy on expensive contracts, the defense is largely built on youth and thrift.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien and GM Brian Gaine have specific physical characteristics in mind for every player they draft or sign, and they do not like to make exceptions to those parameters, as Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com writes. O’Brien’s and Gaine’s goal is to create a roster full of “big, strong, physical” players, and while their offseason acquisitions clearly reflect that philosophy, it is now incumbent upon O’Brien and his staff to mold his roster into a playoff contender.
Ra’Shede Hageman Arrested
Ra’Shede Hageman‘s odds of returning to the NFL just got a little slimmer. Per Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune, Hageman, currently a free agent, was arrested in Hennepin County, Minnesota early Saturday morning on suspicion of fourth-degree driving while impaired. He was released on his own recognizance and has a hearing set for June 21.
This is not the first time the former Golden Gopher has gotten into legal trouble. Hageman, whom the Falcons selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2016, and teams have been keeping their distance from him ever since. Last year, Hageman was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list prior to the start of the season, and the Falcons subsequently waived him. After that, he was hit with a six-week suspension by the league, a ban that he served as a free agent.
He showed some promise before falling out of favor with the league, and Atlanta coaches were impressed with his progress before the team chose to part ways with him. The Seahawks expressed interest in him in April, and the Patriots brought him in for a visit last month, but neither club was intrigued enough to sign him.
Now, of course, he will find it even harder to get a job in the league, regardless of how his DWI case is resolved. He ultimately pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from his prior arrest, though the domestic violence count was dropped pursuant to the terms of the plea deal.
Hageman has put together 16 starts (out of a possible 48 regular season games) and four sacks in his professional career.
Calvin Johnson Speaks About His Retirement, Legacy
Calvin Johnson made the surprising decision to hang up his cleats at the end of the 2015 season, but teams were still interested in his services as late as last year’s trade deadline. It never seemed like a real possibility that he would return to the field, however, and in an excellent interview with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Johnson opened up on his struggles to tell then-Lions head coach Jim Caldwell about his decision, his relationship with the team, and whether he would change anything about his playing career. The whole interview is well-worth a read, but we have pulled out some of the notable nuggets below:
On his decision to retire:
Johnson told Birkett he was prepared to retire after the 2014 season, as he had achieved both of the goals he had set for himself when he entered the league: to play 10 NFL seasons and to surpass 10,000 receiving yards. But his father convinced him to stick around for one more year. Johnson said, “I told (my father), I was like, ‘Dad, I don’t think I can do it no more.’ I was like, ‘I don’t think I can keep on coming out there running miles a day.’ He said, he was like, ‘You think you can get one more?’ I thought about it. … I was like, ‘All right, I can do it one more time.’”
On informing Caldwell of his decision:
“I was so stressed out. I was thinking about that more in the last three games [of the 2015 season] than anything else. I was like, ‘Dang, man. How the hell am I going to tell Coach?’ I asked my dad, asked my sister. And I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll just tell him like right before the last game. I’ll like go to his office on Friday, or tell him like Saturday night before the game.’ And I was like, ‘Dang, (I can’t). That’s just a big ass distraction right before the game.’ It was actually tough to actually say it, to spit the words out. But when I finally told him it was like a burden off my chest like no other. I was like, ‘man, I’m free. I ain’t got to be stressing this (stuff) no more.'”
On his strained relationship with the Lions:
Johnson was famously required to pay back a seven-figure portion of his signing bonus when he elected to retire, which has unsurprisingly led to tension between him and the club. Once Johnson told Caldwell he was going to retire — he ultimately waited until his exit meeting a few days after the 2015 season finale — Caldwell immediately summoned Lions interim general manager Sheldon White and president Rod Wood. Johnson said, “It had to surprise [Caldwell], ’cause then he told me to wait around and he got the GM and stuff. But I knew there was going to be a problem once [Wood] talked to me and the first thing out of his mouth was like, ‘Did you earn all your bonus?’ I was like, ‘Oh, s***.’ I knew right then it was going to be a problem. I was like, ‘All right, I see how it’s going to be.’”
Aside from that statement, however, Johnson indicated he did not wish to discuss the relationship between him and the team or if it can eventually be repaired.
On whether he could still play if he wanted to:
“I don’t (think so), man, cause I get up from the bed sometimes in the morning, I’m just like, I shuffle across the ground cause I can’t bend my ankles. That was my problem when I played, just ankle’s always stuck or swelled up, I can’t flex them. If you can’t flex your ankles then you’re just running flat-footed all the time.”
On his Hall of Fame candidacy:
“People don’t like that I didn’t play a long time, but hey, it is what it is. I mean, I was the fastest to 10,000 yards, I had the most yards in an actual regulation game. I did some things, but if it’s not enough, it’s not enough. I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”
On whether he has any regrets:
“It was my time. It was my time.”
Beth Bowlen Wallace Responds To Joe Ellis’ Remarks
On Thursday, Beth Bowlen Wallace, one of Pat Bowlen‘s seven children, went public with her desire to become the controlling owner of the Broncos when it comes time for the Pat Bowlen Trust to sign over that role. She said, “I have completed the criteria laid out by the trustees, so I felt it was a good time to come out and express my interest and desire to be a part of the organization again.”
Bowlen, the beloved former owner of the Broncos, ceded control of the franchise to the Trust in 2014 due to his ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The Trust, which is comprised of team president Joe Ellis, team counsel Rich Sliva, and Denver attorney Mary Kelly, is currently handling day-to-day operations, and one of its primary functions is to facilitate the equal transfer of ownership to each of Bowlen’s seven children (from two different marriages) when Bowlen passes away. However, only one of those children will serve as controlling owner, and Ellis has full authority to sell the team to an outside party if such a sale is in the best interest of the children and the team. As such, Ellis is holding all the cards, and as Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post pointed out, he has the full support of the league, as the NFL granted a five-year extension to Ellis as controlling owner delegee in 2017.
So, when Wallace made her wishes known, Ellis was quick to respond, saying, “As trustees honoring the clear wishes of Pat, we have thoroughly evaluated whether Beth is capable of succeeding her father as controlling owner. We have determined that she is not capable or qualified at this time.”
The Trust has a list of criteria to help determine who the next controlling owner will be, and back in January, we learned that only Wallace, 47, and Brittany Bowlen, 28, were the only two Bowlen children who were technically on track to meet those criteria.
Ellis, though, clearly feels that Wallace is not a viable candidate for the job, and Kiszla noted that her efforts to create a public “showdown” with the trustees felt like something of a Hail Mary, especially in light of the fact that Brittany Bowlen has been seen as the frontrunner for some time. In fact, longtime Denver Post columnist Woody Paige says that Brittany Bowlen was the only child that Pat Bowlen ever mentioned as a potential successor (Twitter link via Troy Renck of Denver7 ABC).
But Wallace is not going down without a fight. As Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post writes, Wallace responded to Ellis’ comments by saying, “I am disappointed and disagree with the inaccurate comments made by the trustees. While I can certainly respond to each of those statements, I don’t believe that will be productive. I want to do what is in the best interests of my family, the team and Denver fans. I care deeply for my entire family and I would never do anything to create divisiveness in the family. It remains my sincere hope that I, together with my advisers, can sit down with the trustees and their advisors to resolve this situation. The fans and league deserve this, and we have repeatedly offered to meet with the trustees to accomplish this objective. Therefore, I will not respond to their inaccurate statements at this time.”
After Wallace went public, Broncos GM John Elway addressed the situation by reaffirming his faith in, and support of, Ellis. Brittany Bowlen, meanwhile, has not offered any public comment as of yet, which is probably just as well for her.
Until just a couple of days ago, it looked as if there was little controversy surrounding how the Broncos are being run. Now, though, there is a chance this could get ugly, and as Kiszla notes, another disappointing season on the field in 2018 will only amplify the questions and concerns about fissures in the Bowlen family business.
Carlos Dunlap To Report To Bengals
Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap will end his short-lived holdout and report to the team soon, according to his teammate Michael Johnson. So far, Dunlap has been the only Bengal not present for voluntary OTAs as he enters the final year of his contract. 
It was reported last week that Dunlap had missed the beginning of OTAs, and he never showed after that. He forfeited a $300K workout bonus by not showing up, but coach Marvin Lewis called it “not a big deal” at the time. Lewis apparently knew what Dunlap was thinking, as the star pass-rusher has now made it clear he doesn’t plan to extend his holdout into the mandatory phases of the offseason program as he angles for a new contract.
Dunlap has been a force for the Bengals and a staple of their defense since entering the league as a second round pick back in 2010. Over the past two seasons, Dunlap has 15.5 sacks and 22 passes defended. His teammates don’t seem too concerned about Dunlap’s absence, as Johnson said “he’ll be back ready to roll” when he returns.
Entering the final year of a six-year, $40MM contract he signed back in 2013, Dunlap will surely be looking for a raise after he’s made the Pro Bowl two out of the past three seasons. The Bengals’ other star defensive lineman, Geno Atkins, is also entering the final year of his contract and the Bengals are reportedly looking to extend him first. While he may have to wait until the Bengals get a deal done with Atkins, still in his prime at the age of 29, Dunlap should get the extension he wants from the Bengals at some point.
NFC Notes: Schwartz, Matthews, Godwin, Panthers
This past offseason, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was often talked about as a potential target for teams with head coaching vacancies. He was floated as a candidate for several head coaching jobs, but didn’t get any of them.
Schwartz has seen his coaching career revitalized after a resurgent Eagles defense that he oversaw ended up winning the Super Bowl this past year. Schwartz was the head coach of the Lions from 2009 to 2013, and most people seem to think the recent success of the Eagles’ defense will land him another head coaching gig at some point.
In a recent article, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders how long the Eagles will be able to keep Schwartz, and opines that he’ll likely be gone sooner rather than later. McLane notes that Schwartz doesn’t seem particularly attached to the Eagles when he speaks to the press, and that he isn’t likely to be the type of coordinator that sticks around for many years. Schwartz isn’t really keeping it a secret that he wants to be a head coach again, and he’ll likely be moving on from the Eagles whenever the first opportunity presents itself.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Packers linebacker Clay Matthews suffered a broken nose during a charity softball game and had to be transported to the hospital (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). Matthews has already missed time during OTAs due to a knee injury, so the broken nose shouldn’t effect things too much.
- Buccaneers second-year wide receiver Chris Godwin had an issue with his mouthguard last season that caused his breathing and stamina to suffer, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN (Twitter link). Laine notes that the issue has since been corrected and that she’s expecting “big things” from him in 2018. It’s significant because the Bucs have made it very clear they love Godwin, and the team could seek to get out of DeSean Jackson‘s contract after this year with Jackson having very little guaranteed money beyond this season.
- Some NFL owners “dreamt” that the Panthers would sell for $3 billion, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Instead, the Panthers sold to Dave Tepper for $2.275 billion. Breer notes that if the Broncos, who have faced recent controversy surrounding their ownership, were to go up for sale it wouldn’t be “unrealistic” for them to get $3 billion. The value of NFL franchises continues to skyrocket, and the fact that some owners thought the Panthers might get $3 billion shows there’s no sign of the increase slowing down.
AFC East Notes: Bridgewater, Gillislee, Bills
When Teddy Bridgewater went down with a devastating knee injury during Vikings training camp in 2016, many doubted he would ever play again. Bridgewater’s journey has been a rollercoaster since then, from being the Vikings franchise quarterback to their third stringer by the time he returned, but he’s back on the field now and has already proved many doubters wrong.
After reportedly coming close to losing his leg entirely, Bridgewater is now a member of the Jets, signed to a one-year deal in March. Although the Jets used the third overall pick on Sam Darnold and still have Josh McCown ahead of Bridgewater for now, Bridgewater apparently has a “legitimate” shot at being the Jets’ 2018 starting quarterback, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN (Twitter link).
Although very little of Bridgewater’s 2018 salary is guaranteed, he’s apparently showed well in OTAs thus far, making it more unlikely the Jets cut him. The key for Bridgewater will be his healthy and “showing his knee is sound” according to Cimini, who adds that nobody will “know that until he gets hit in a preseason game.” If Bridgewater does manage to win the Jets’ starting job this summer, it would be one of the most incredible comeback stories in recent memory.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- The Patriots’ running back room is currently a bit crowded, and at least one notable name will need to be cut before the regular season begins. That’s most likely to be Mike Gillislee according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, who says he likes Jeremy Hill‘s chances of making the team better than Gillislee’s, and adds that he has “some questions about Gillislee’s effort after some drill work in OTAs.” A much-hyped free agent acquisition last offseason, Gillislee now appears to be on the outside looking in for a roster spot as he’s buried behind Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden, and possibly Hill.
- Bills rookie first-rounder Tremaine Edmunds “seems destined to start from Day 1” according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Despite being just 19 when he was drafted, Edmunds is expected to be an every down player at middle linebacker for the Bills. La Canfora adds that rookie quarterback Josh Allen was “hardly perfect” in Thursday’s OTA session, and that he’s likely to begin the season on the bench behind A.J. McCarron. While Edmunds could make some of the Bills’ veteran linebackers expendable, the Bills will likely keep McCarron around since he’s due a relatively cheap $5MM salary, unless Allen is lights out during the preseason.
- The Jets may target a veteran tight end towards the end of training camp, according to Daryll Slater of NJ.com. Slater points out that the Jets have a group of inexperienced young players at tight end, and the team will want to see how they perform this summer. If they don’t show well, the team will likely seek to bring in a veteran to help guide the young unit, writes Slater. The Jets let Austin Seferian-Jenkins walk to the Jaguars in free agency, and now have only a slew of unproven players at tight end.