Bashaud Breeland Leaves Chiefs Without Deal
Bashaud Breeland took a lengthy visit with the Chiefs earlier today, during which he not only met with the club for hours, but watched Kansas City’s defensive backs go through drills. But the free agent cornerback has now left the Chiefs without a contract in place, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds Breeland has not still not ruled out signing with Kansas City at some point.
While Breeland doesn’t yet have a contract in hand, he’s among the best defenders still available on the free agent market. The 26-year-old originally signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Panthers at the outset of free agency, but Carolina voided the pact after an off-field foot injury forced a failed Breeland physical.
Since then, he’s been linked to numerous teams, but he’s also left a meeting with the Raiders without a deal in place. Next up, Breeland is reportedly set to meet with both the Browns and Colts. At this point, it’s unclear as to the holdup on Breeland finding a new club, but his foot issue is surely being checked by team medical officials.
Breeland was originally a fourth-round Redskins pick in 2014 draft. A Clemson product, Breeland has been a starter from day one, totaling eight interceptions in 58 starts during his four-year career. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Breeland as the No. 50 cornerback among 121 qualifiers.
Falcons, Julio Jones Working On New Deal
The Falcons are “working intensively” on a new contract for wide receiver Julio Jones, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Atlanta is open to “creatively addressing” Jones’ planned salary for 2018, which sits at $10.5MM.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced indicating Jones would be holding out from the Falcons’ training camp after requesting an “adjusted” contract in May. Thus far, Atlanta has not shown an inclination to give Jones any sort of an alteration, and were reportedly focused on new deals for players like Grady Jarrett, Jake Matthews, and Ricardo Allen.
Jones helped reset the wide receiver market in 2015 by inking a five-year, $71.25MM extension with Atlanta, tying him to the club through the 2020 campaign. However, Jones’ $14.25MM average salary now ranks just ninth among NFL wideouts, behind fellow pass-catchers such as Davante Adams, Jarvis Landry, and Sammy Watkins.
In 2017, Jones snagged 83 balls en route to finishing third in the league in receiving yards per game. The 29-year-old Jones has been to four straight Pro Bowls and has two first-team All-Pro nods under his belt. Once his contract is squared away, he’ll once top an Atlanta depth chart that now includes Calvin Ridley in additional to Mohamed Sanu.
49ers Sign DTs Cedric Thornton, Will Sutton
The 49ers have signed defensive tackles Cedric Thornton and Will Sutton, as well as offensive lineman J.P. Flynn, the club announced today. In corresponding moves, San Francisco has cut defensive back Don Jones, offensive lineman Jamar McGloster, and defensive lineman Blaine Woodson.
Of the players involved in today’s transactions, Thornton boasts the longest NFL track record. A former three-year starter for the Eagles, Thornton signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys prior to the 2016 campaign but lasted only a single season. He latched on with the Bills just before the 2017 season got underway and ultimately appeared in 15 games, playing on roughly a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps.
Sutton, meanwhile, is a former third-round pick of the Bears who flamed out after three seasons. Although he inked a deal with the Vikings last summer, Sutton didn’t make Minnesota’s initial 53-man roster and spent the rest of the year on the workout circuit. While he never did land a deal last year, Sutton is still only 26 years old.
The 49ers aren’t hurting for depth along their interior defense, as starters DeForest Buckner and Earl Mitchell are backed up by Chris Jones, Sheldon Day, and others, while end Arik Armstead can also play inside. Still, Thornton and/or Sutton could have an outside chance to make San Francisco’s roster if they perform well during training camp.
Cardinals Sign Tre Boston
The Cardinals have signed veteran safety Tre Boston to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Boston’s signing indicates (at last) movement in the free agent safety market, which had been incredibly stagnant since free agency opened back in March. While players such as Kurt Coleman and Tyrann Mathieu received contracts early in the free agent process, other defensive backs like Boston have failed to land deals. At present, free agent safeties Eric Reid and Kenny Vaccaro are still unsigned.
Boston met with the Colts and Cardinals earlier this summer, and while he wasn’t happy with the outcome of his Indianapolis meeting, Arizona reportedly “rolled out the red carpet” for the 26-year-old. That initial impression probably didn’t hurt the Cardinals’ chances of landing Boston, and his experience with head coach Steve Wilks — who was the Panthers’ defensive backs coach during Boston’s time in Carolina — likely also contributed to his landing in Arizona.
The Cardinals spent time with former Steelers safety Mike Mitchell earlier today, but they’ve instead chosen Boston, who is not only younger, but a better player by almost any measure. In 2017, Boston’s first and only year with the Chargers, he started 15 games and posted a career-high five interceptions. Pro Football Focus graded Boston as the NFL’s No. 30 safety, lauding his pass defense skills but denigrating his run defense.
Boston’s poor run-game work shouldn’t make much of a difference in Arizona, where the Cardinals often play three-safety sets. With Antoine Bethea and Budda Baker available to play closer to the line of scrimmage, Boston will likely spend most of his time in a center field role.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz Won’t Go On PUP
After suffering a torn ACL last December, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will not be placed on the physically unable to perform list to begin training camp, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Clearly, the news is positive for Wentz, as he’ll now be able to stay on the field while his recovery progresses. Starting on the active/PUP list wouldn’t have been the end of the world, as Wentz could have had that designation removed at any time. But beginning camp on active/PUP could have conceivably led to Wentz being placed on reserve/PUP, which would have cost him the first six games of the regular season.
Philadelphia did consider placing Wentz on the PUP list, tweets Rapoport, especially given that he’ll be ramping up slowly and won’t participate fully in drills. But as Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), the Eagles want to get a sense of Wentz’s progess while he competes in seven-on-seven drills, something that wouldn’t have possible if Wentz was sidelined.
Wentz, 23, was playing at an MVP pace when he went down last season, as he’d already amassed more than 3,200 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions through 13 starts. Nick Foles, of course, won the Super Bowl in relief of Wentz, and will be available in the event Wentz needs a regular season game or two to get up to speed.
Titans, Taylor Lewan Exchange Offers
Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan reported to training camp today after skipping minicamp earlier this year, and his agent exchanged contract proposals with Tennessee, according to Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com.
While there has been “progress” on a new deal for Lewan, the two sides haven’t yet reached an accord, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). But Titans general manager Jon Robinson admitted talks have “ramped up” over the past day, tweets Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com, so an extension could conceivably be on the horizon.
Lewan, who turned 27 years old earlier this week, is signed through the 2018 season at a cost of $9.341MM after the Titans exercised his fifth-year option. Given his age and production, any new contract will likely need to pay him near top-of-the-market value. For left tackles, that means $15MM+ per year, especially after Nate Solder reset the positional market by landing $15.5MM annually from the Giants in March.
A first-round pick in 2014, Lewan has been a full-time starter since the 2015 campaign. Overall, he’s appeared in 58 games and made 53 starts for Tennessee. Lewan graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the NFL in 2016 and placed 16th last year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Terrance Parks
Buffalo Bills
- Released: DL Tenny Palepoi
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Cam Serigne
- Released: DT Drew Iddings
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Mark Chapman
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Adonis Jennings, Kyle Lewis
Indianpolis Colts
- Signed: S Shamarko Thomas
- Waived: CB Juante Baldwin
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: OL Donavon Clark
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Aaron Lacombe, WR Khadarel Lott, WR JoJo Natson
- Waived: WR LaQuvionte Gonzalez, WR Ricky Jeune
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Izaah Lunsford
- Waived: TE Kyle Carter, P Taylor Symmank
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived/injured: DB Trey Johnson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Josh Liddell, T Jerry Ugokwe
- Waived/Injured: DT Channing Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DE Claude Pelon
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Prince Charles Iworah
- Waived/Injured: RB Keith Marshall
Dave Gettleman’s Cancer Is In Remission
Dave Gettleman’s cancer is in remission, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Gettleman has been sharing the positive news with those close to him over the past few days.
Gettleman, 67, revealed in June that he had been diagnosed with a cancer of the lymphatic system. Thankfully, after a course of chemotherapy treatments, Gettleman is now in the clear. It is expected that he’ll continue treatments for the time being, Schwartz writes, but he is in a much better place than he was just weeks ago.
In December, the Giants hired Gettleman to be the fourth GM in club history. With 30 years of experience and a close relationship with ex-GM Ernie Accorsi, Gettleman was a natural fit for the position.
Cardinals To Sign Arthur Moats
The Cardinals and linebacker Arthur Moats have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter link). Moats met with Arizona on Wednesday morning and wound up with a contract by the afternoon. 
An eight-year NFL veteran, Moats spent four years with the Bills and the other four with the Steelers. The 30-year-old started 12 games and played 50% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps as recently as 2015, but his role was drastically reduced last year. Pittsburgh turned to younger defenders such as Bud Dupree, so Moats only saw action on 8.4% of the club’s snaps.
The Cardinals project to start Josh Bynes and Deone Bucannon at the inside linebacker spots with former University of Arizona tackling machine Scooby Wright among those in support. Moats could provide some additional veteran experience in that area, as well as special teams play.
Prior to his signing with the Cardinals, the Falcons were the only other known team to have expressed interest in Moats.
Rams Notes: Goff, Donald, Gurley
The Rams’ goal is to win while quarterback Jared Goff is still cheap, Michael David Smith of PFT writes. The Rams spent lavishly this offseason, giving new deals to Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley while adding the likes of Ndamukong Suh and Aqib Talib. Beyond that, there’s a fat contract likely coming for Aaron Donald and four of last year’s players (Andrew Whitworth, Lamarcus Joyner, Michael Brockers, and Mark Barron) have cap hits in excess of $10MM. These expenditures are only possible because Goff is on his rookie deal with a cap hit of less than $8MM this season.
At some point, however, the Rams will have to pay Goff something close to fair market value. In 2020, the Rams will have to retain him via the $20MM+ fifth-year option or sign him to a lucrative new contract. By then, the Rams will have some very difficult choices to make.
Here’s more from L.A.:
- Donald is nowhere to be found as Rams training camp gets underway, but GM Les Snead isn’t panicking. At least, not publicly. “We’re simultaneously working to make Aaron a Ram a long time – that’s the goal,” Snead said (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). “I know we’ll get questions about him, but Aaron’s a big part of who we are, where we want to go. We’re going to continue working to get something done with Aaron.”
- If Donald’s holdout extends beyond August 7, he will not accrue a fourth year of service for free agency. That’s because even though Donald would be a restricted free agent in 2019 without a new deal, a franchise tag would still be likely (Twitter link via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com). Without the franchise tag, it’s very probable that teams would entertain offer sheets for Donald on a first-round RFA tender.
- The details are in on Gurley’s new deal, and it’s an impressive haul for the young running back.