We’ll keep track of today’s “minor” moves here:
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Redskins
Now a free agent after being released by the Rams earlier today, Todd Gurley is free to choose his next destination. At this early stage, the veteran running reportedly has the Falcons and Dolphins on his list of potential landing spots, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Additionally, Atlanta and Miami were the two teams that expressed the most trade interest in Gurley before he was cut by Los Angeles, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Atlanta looks like a clear contender to add a running back at some point this offseason, as the club’s backfield depth chart is currently headlined by Ito Smith and Brian Hill following the release of Devonta Freeman. Freeman, the Falcons’ starter for the past five years, saw 71 targets in 2019 (10th among running backs), so Gurley’s pass-catching prowess would likely be put to use in Atlanta. Plus, it probably doesn’t hurt that Gurley spent his collegiate time at the University of Georgia.
Miami, meanwhile, already inked ex-Eagles running back Jordan Howard to a two-year, $10MM pact earlier this week, adding him to an RB room that also includes Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, and Myles Gaskin. Gurley would further crowd the Dolphins’ depth chart, but head coach Brian Flores — taking a cue from his history with the Patriots — probably wouldn’t be afraid of a running back-by-committee approach.
Every NFL free agent will be affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions, but perhaps none more so than Gurley, whose chronic knee issues surely have interested teams concerned. Indeed, it remains to be seen if a club will take a chance on Gurley’s health without the benefit on an in-person physical.
An option existed for the Raiders to play a fourth lame-duck season in Oakland, in the event their Las Vegas stadium was not ready on time. But the Raiders will not take it, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
The COVID-19 pandemic has injected uncertainty into the Raiders’ stadium situation, but they notified officials in Oakland they will not exercise an option to play at the Oakland Coliseum in 2020. The Raiders still plan to play in Las Vegas; 2020 has served as their relocation window for years.
As for the stadium construction amid this health crisis, Dubow adds that the project remains ongoing. Nevada has shut down numerous businesses, and casinos have been temporarily closing. But the stadium project has been deemed “essential” and is continuing as scheduled. The $1.9 billion domed stadium remains scheduled to open this summer.
The Raiders received approval to relocate in 2017 but played the 2017, ’18 and ’19 seasons in Oakland. UNLV’s current home venue — Sam Boyd Stadium — was deemed a non-starter as a temporary Raiders site years ago. Mark Davis also did not give serious consideration to sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers, so it appears, for the time being, the Raiders will power through this coronavirus pandemic in an effort to have their stadium ready.
The Cowboys have re-signed linebacker Joe Thomas to a one-year contract, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Thomas, 28, has spent his career oscillating between Dallas and Green Bay. While he played 632 snaps with the Packers in 2016, he’s mostly played in reserve roles. Last season, Thomas was pressed into duty during the latter half of the year following an injury to Cowboys starter Leighton Vander Esch.
The Cowboys will return Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, and Sean Lee in 2020, meaning Thomas will see most of his action come on special teams. The former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State has played roughly 55% of Dallas special teams snaps in each of the past two seasons.
Although the Panthers are attempting to trade quarterback Cam Newton after landing another signal-caller in free agent Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina is having trouble finding a suitor, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (Twitter link). As a result, the Panthers are likely to simply release Newton in the near future.
Carolina’s inability to deal Newton is largely the result of two factors. First, the supply of quarterbacks currently outweighs the demand. Teams like the Bears and Colts have already made additions under center, while the Chargers aren’t planning to make a run at a veteran quarterback. As such, the Patriots may be the only club in need of an experienced passer.
Second, Newton finished the 2019 campaign on injured reserve after going down with a Lisfranc injury. Interested teams would certainly like to have Newton take a physical before acquiring him, but given the current COVID-19 travel restrictions, that doesn’t appear possible. It seems doubtful any club would take a chance on Newton’s health without checking him out in person.
The Panthers have no intention of retaining both Newton and Bridgewater, per Rodrigue, so once the latter completes a physical with Carolina, Newton is likely to be cut. At that point, the Panthers would pick up $19.1MM in cap relief while absorbing $2MM in dead money.
Daniel Jones will no longer have a two-time Super Bowl MVP as his backup, but the Giants appear to have filled Eli Manning‘s most recent position Thursday.
The Giants and veteran quarterback Colt McCoy agreed to terms, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $1.5MM deal, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. McCoy will migrate to another NFC East team after spending the past six years with Washington.
While the Giants were interested in Matt Moore, they have acquired a passer who has nearly as much experience and is two years younger. McCoy, 33, is a 10-year veteran who has played with the Browns, 49ers and Redskins. He has not been a regular starter since his first two seasons, but he is one of the league’s most experienced backups.
Working with Jay Gruden for most of his Redskins run, McCoy will now serve under another coach who spent a great deal of time organizing game plans in this division. Jason Garrett will be tasked with continuing Jones’ development, and McCoy figures to play a key role in helping the 2019 first-rounder.
The former Texas Longhorn started six games with the Redskins, sporting an 8-7 TD-INT ratio and a 7.6 yards-per-attempt figure.
The Patriots have agreed to a two-year deal with former Chargers safety Adrian Phillips, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Phillips, 28 next week, had spent his entire career with the Chargers after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but on paper, he looks like the perfect Patriot. Not only is he something of a hybrid player capable of playing both safety and linebacker, but he’s extremely active on special teams.
Phillips played on at least 40% of Los Angeles’ ST snaps in each of the past five seasons, and earned a first-team All-Pro nod as a special teamer in 2018. New England head coach Bill Belichick has always placed a priority on special teams play, and Phillips will certainly see his fair share of action in that capacity.
But Phillips will likely have a role on defense, as well. The Patriots have deployed a number of three-safety looks in recent years, and with Duron Harmon now in Detroit, New England has roughly 600 vacant safety snaps to fill. Phillips could slot into Harmon’s old role alongside Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung.
Deals are coming in quickly, so we’ve compiled some important contract details below:
Cameron Fleming (Giants), One year, $4MM, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
Dennis Kelly (Titans), Three years, $17.25MM, $8.75MM guaranteed, $4.75MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $1.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $4.5MM ($2.5MM guaranteed for injury at signing, fully guaranteed if on roster 5th day of 2021 league year); 2022: $5MM; $400k annual per-game roster bonus, $750K incentives available in 2021-22; $1MM escalator in base salary for 2021-22, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Alex Lewis (Jets), Three years, $18.6MM, $5.6MM guaranteed, $2.5MM signing bonus, salaries 2020: $1.1MM (guaranteed), 2021: $5.8M, 2022: $6M; $2MM 2020 roster bonus guaranteed on 5th day of league year, $400k in annual per-game roster bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Marcedes Lewis (Packers) One year, $2.25MM; $1.05MM signing bonus, salary 2020: $1.1MM, $9,375 per game active roster bonus, $750K playtime and playoffs incentives available, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Robert Quinn, (Bears): Five years, $70MM, $30MM guaranteed, $3MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $3MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $11.5MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $12.8MM, 2023: $13.9MM, 2024: $12.9MM; $12.5MM fully guaranteed roster bonus in 2020, $100k annual workout bonuses from 2021-2024, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The Browns are adding another former first-round defensive back on a one year deal. After signing safety Karl Joseph on Wednesday night, they have agreed to terms with former Round 1 cornerback Kevin Johnson.
Johnson and the Browns agreed on a one-year, $3.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Incentives could spike the contract’s value to $6MM, Schefter adds.
The Texans backed out of Johnson’s fifth-year option in 2019, a move the new CBA will no longer allow teams to execute free of charge, and he wound up with the Bills. The 2015 first-round pick played in all 16 games as a role player in Buffalo’s secondary, recording 36 tackles and posting five passes defensed.
Despite being an off-the-bench contributor, Johnson stayed healthy in 2019. That proved to be pivotal for a cornerback that saw injuries derail his time in Houston. Johnson, 27, missed 10 games in 2016 and 15 in 2018. A severe concussion kept him out of action in ’18. He will join a Browns cornerback crew headed by Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams.
The Patriots brought back their secondary anchor at the start of this week, but two teams run by ex-Patriots staffers made a run at the veteran safety.
Both the Dolphins and Lions submitted offers to Devin McCourty, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. While this should not be viewed as unexpected, given the number of ex-Pats on these respective teams, it helps explain McCourty’s value. The 32-year-old defender signed a two-year, $23MM Patriots deal with $17MM guaranteed.
Brian Flores coached McCourty from 2012-15, as the Pats’ safeties coach. Matt Patricia was New England’s defensive coordinator during those seasons, serving in that post from 2012-17 before taking the Detroit job. The Pats picked up Jason McCourty‘s 2020 option, however, factoring into Devin’s decision.
The Dolphins recently released safety Reshad Jones, whom the team selected in the same draft the Pats took McCourty, but have Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain at safety. Miami also authorized a massive contract for Byron Jones, who joins $15MM-per-year cornerback Xavien Howard. The Lions traded Quandre Diggs during the 2019 season, but shortly after McCourty chose the Pats, ex-Patriots exec Bob Quinn traded for longtime McCourty teammate Duron Harmon.