HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

Panthers Sign DT Zach Kerr, WR DeAndrew White

March 25th, 2020 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Parks

The Panthers bid adieu to defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe this offseason, and now they’ve added a reinforcement. Carolina has signed former Colts, Broncos, and Cardinals DT Zach Kerr, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets.

Kerr entered the league as a UDFA in 2014, and he showed enough in camp and preseason that year to make Indianapolis’ 53-man roster. He stuck around for three seasons as a rotational player and was signed by the Broncos after the Colts decided against giving him an RFA tender. He played for two years in Denver and actually signed another two-year deal with the team last March, but he did not survive final cutdowns.

He caught on with the Cardinals in October and ended up playing 12 games (three starts) for Arizona. He finished the season with solid marks from Pro Football Focus, which considered him about as effective as notables like Brandon Williams and Leonard Williams (though he saw significantly fewer snaps). He is currently slated to team up with Kawann Short on the Panthers’ defensive front, but it would not be surprising to see the club use an early draft pick on a DT.

Per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, the Panthers are also bringing back WR DeAndrew White on a one-year deal (Twitter link). White opened the 2019 season on Carolina’s practice squad and earned a promotion to the 53-man roster in October. He caught four passes for 51 yards and returned 10 kickoffs.

Ravens Concerned About Michael Brockers’ Medicals

March 25th, 2020 at 5:09pm CST by Rory Parks

The Ravens made a couple of major additions to their defensive front this month, trading for Calais Campbell and agreeing to a three-year contract with free agent Michael Brockers. But according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Baltimore has some concerns about Brockers’ medicals.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams cannot have free agents examined by their own doctors. Instead, physicals must be conducted by independent doctors in the player’s geographic area. As Zrebiec tweets, the independent evaluation turned up potential issues with Brockers’ ankle, which he injured late last season.

Baltimore is still expected to sign Brockers, but the club is considering its options (one of which, presumably, is backing out of the deal altogether). Zrebiec says the team — which has formally announced all of its other acquisitions — was also interested in Ndamukong Suh, but Suh re-signed with the Buccaneers earlier today (Twitter links).

Brockers is not the type of elite pass rusher the Ravens may have been hoping for when free agency opened, but he is capable of getting to the QB, and his versatility and run-stopping ability would serve as an excellent complement to Campbell and Brandon Williams. His presence would also help to free things up for edge rushers Matt Judon and Jaylon Ferguson, so Baltimore clearly wants to get him in the fold.

The free agent market has been mostly picked over at this point, and the Ravens recently traded Chris Wormley and saw Michael Pierce sign with the Vikings, so if the Brockers deal falls through, Baltimore may turn its attention to the draft for DL reinforcements.

Bears To Sign OL Germain Ifedi

March 25th, 2020 at 4:25pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bears and offensive lineman Germain Ifedi are in agreement on a one-year contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Financial details are not yet known, but it is likely not a high-dollar deal.

The Seahawks drafted Ifedi in the first round of the 2016 draft, and though he has been a full-time starter since his rookie campaign, he has never lived up to that billing. Seattle declined his fifth-year option last May, and his play did not improve enough to make the team regret that decision.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll did express interest in bringing Ifedi back, but no reports of negotiations between the two sides ever surfaced. Instead, the Texas A&M product will attempt to rebuild his value with the Bears.

Rapoport says that the Bears — who have Bobby Massie penciled in at right tackle — could give Ifedi a shot at guard. He played guard in his rookie season in Seattle before kicking out to RT.

Chicago’s O-line was one of the worst in the league in 2019, but Ifedi represents the lone free agent addition the club has made to that unit thus far.

Titans To Sign Ty Sambrailo

March 25th, 2020 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have agreed to sign Ty Sambrailo, according to a team announcement. The offensive lineman will receive a one-year deal with his third career pro club. 

Sambrailo, who was previously with the Broncos and Falcons, figures to slot in as offensive line depth. He’s not a world-beater, but his versatility is a plus – he can offer help at tackle while also, potentially, lining up at guard. At tackle, he’ll backstop left tackle Taylor Lewan and right tackle Dennis Kelly.

The 28-year-old suited up for 13 games off of the Falcons’ bench last year. He also enjoyed a highlight reel moment that he’ll never forget – a 35-yard touchdown catch against the Buccaneers to close out the season.

Bengals To Sign Vonn Bell

March 25th, 2020 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals’ defensive overhaul continues. On Wednesday, the Bengals agreed to terms with safety Vonn Bell, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year deal.

Garafolo adds in a separate tweet that the contract is worth $18MM, $7MM of which will be paid out in 2020.

Bell, 25 (26 in December), entered the league as a second-round pick of the Saints back in 2016. He spent four years there, up until now. There was some chatter of the Saints re-signing him, but Sean Payton & Co. elected to instead bring back old friend Malcolm Jenkins.

In 2019, Bell started in all 13 of his games and finished out with 89 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and one interception. Now, he’ll move on to the Bengals where he joins fellow newcomers D.J. Reader, Trae Waynes, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Mackensie Alexander, and Josh Bynes. At safety, he’ll be accompanied by Jessie Bates, Shaun Williams, and likely a couple more names between now and the start of the season.

Jets To Sign Patrick Onwuasor

March 25th, 2020 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have agreed to sign Patrick Onwuasor, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The former Ravens linebacker will reunite with C.J. Mosley with hopes of having better luck in New York/New Jersey.

Onwuasor played safety in college but found his footing at a ‘backer in Baltimore after going undrafted. He shined on special teams and saw his role increase with time. Stepping into Mosley’s role as the leader of the D, he had a so-so 2019 – Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 73 off-ball LB in the NFL. The Jets likely have plans to use him a bit differently and take advantage of his blitzing ability.

Onwuasor, 27, spent his entire four-year career with the Ravens up until now. Between 2017 and 2018, he started in 25 games for Baltimore.

The Ravens, meanwhile, are officially in the market for ILB help.

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Ndamukong Suh

March 25th, 2020 at 2:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers will bring Ndamukong Suh back for another season, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The defensive lineman is set to collect $8MM in 2020 on a deal that will allow him to stick with defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Suh can collect another $2MM via incentives based on playing time, Tampa Bay’s team defensive performance, and a playoff berth, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Brady Fallout: Bucs, Belichick, Colts, Hoyer]

Suh came to Tampa last year on a $9.25MM agreement – this is a bit of a hair cut for Suh, though he’s made tons of money throughout his career. The former First-Team All-Pro has started in every game he’s ever played – including all 16 last year – and he’s set to play a featured role on the Bucs’ D-Line once again.

Suh is past his prime, but he still garnered outside interest from clubs, including the Cowboys. Earlier today, Dallas picked up Dontari Poe, a deal that may have led him back into the waiting arms of the Bucs.

With Tom Brady on the other side of the ball, Suh might just have an opportunity to win a Super Bowl ring this year. The Bucs’ D closed out ’19 strong, so there’s reason to believe that they can be among the league’s better defenses.

Eagles To Sign Nickell Robey-Coleman

March 25th, 2020 at 12:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles’ have agreed to sign cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Robey-Coleman will join on a one-year deal (financial terms not yet disclosed). 

The Rams declined Robey-Coleman’s option in March, allowing him to hit the open market. He’s found work in Philly, and he’ll join a revamped Eagles secondary that looks pretty darn good on paper.

New pickup Darius Slay will star as the team’s primary outside corner while Rasul Douglas, Sidney Jones, and Avonte Maddox are set to jockey for the CB2 spot. In the middle, safeties Jalen Mills and Rodney McLeod will be on patrol, with Robey-Coleman handling the slot. It remains to be seen whether his former Buffalo teammate, Ronald Darby, will be brought back for another year.

Robey-Coleman was set to count for a $4.5MM cap hit before the Rams turned him loose. Last year, he appeared in 16 games and played on 64% of their snaps. Before he joined LA in 2017, he spent the first four years of his career with the Bills and built a reputation as one of the league’s better slot men.

Cowboys To Sign Dontari Poe

March 25th, 2020 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

Dontari Poe is coming to Dallas. On Wednesday, the Cowboys agreed to sign the defensive tackle, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Cowboys’ Travis Frederick Announces Retirement]

Exact terms of the deal are not yet known and the two sides are still hashing out the fine print, but a (virtual) handshake agreement is in place. Poe figures to play a key role for the Cowboys, who are looking to remake their defensive line this offseason.

Poe, a 346-pound force, spent the last two seasons with the Panthers. This year, the club declined his option for the 2020 season, placing him on the free agent pile.

The Cowboys cast a wide net for defensive line help after losing Robert Quinn and Maliek Collins in free agency. Earlier this month, they landed fellow ex-Panthers notable Gerald McCoy, but they also did their homework on Ndamukong Suh, Damon Harrison, Mike Pennel, and others.

Poe made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014 while he was with the Chiefs. Last year, he managed four sacks from the interior, despite being limited to just eleven regular season games. Historically, he’s been durable – before 2019, he never missed more than one contest in any campaign.

Contract Details: Falcons, Ryan, Eagles, Slay

March 25th, 2020 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, the Falcons restructured deals with Matt Ryan and others to carve out a bit of extra breathing room. Today, we got some additional details on that adjustment, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Here’s the breakdown: Ryan’s base pay for 2020 will go down from $8MM to $1.05MM. Meanwhile, tackle Jake Matthews will see his base number trimmed from $10.55MM to $3.55MM. In both cases, the difference was converted to a signing bonus. In effect, it doesn’t change much for either player, but it does allow the Falcons to kick the can down the road and spend more this year.

Here are more deetz from around the NFL, with all links going to Twitter:

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