HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

Lions Sign CB Desmond Trufant

March 18th, 2020 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Desmond Trufant has found his new home. ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweets that the free agent cornerback has signed with the Lions. It’s a two-year, $21MM deal, including $14MM in guaranteed money.

Last year, Trufant compiled four interceptions and seven passes defended despite being limited to only nine games. He missed the first quarter of the year with a toe injury and was forced to go on IR in December after suffering a broken forearm. He started 16 games as recently as 2018, when he finished with 66 tackles and 12 passes defended. He earned a Pro Bowl nod with Atlanta in 2015.

Despite having three years remaining on his five-year, $68.75MM deal, Atlanta moved on from the veteran earlier this week. By releasing Trufant, the Falcons saved $4.95MM against $10.2MM in dead money. We heard whispers that the Jets could be interested in Trufant, but the rumor mill had otherwise been quiet surrounding the 29-year-old.

With Trufant signed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes (on Twitter) that the Lions can shift focus to trading cornerback Darius Slay. In late February, Lions GM Bob Quinn explained that all scenarios are being considered when it comes to the cornerback.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/18/20

March 18th, 2020 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tuesday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.

RFAs

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Seahawks Sign OL Cedric Ogbuehi

March 18th, 2020 at 6:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Cedric Ogbuehi is moving to Seattle. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the Seahawks have signed the offensive lineman. ESPN’s Jordan Schultz was first with the news (via Twitter).

The 2015 first-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals. He started 25 games between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but he was limited to only two games in 2018.

He signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars last offseason, and he proceeded to appear in 14 games for his new squad.

The Seahawks have been busy adding to their offensive line. Over the past two days, the team has also added Brandon Shell and B.J. Finney.

Browns To Sign LB B.J. Goodson

March 18th, 2020 at 6:28pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Browns have come to an agreement with linebacker B.J. Goodson, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Cleveland has already lost linebackers Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert in free agency so Goodson should immediately slot into the starting lineup.

Still just 26 years old, Goodson has accumulated 160 tackles in 53 games (29 starts) since entering the league in 2016. A fourth-round pick by the Giants, Goodson spent his first three seasons in New York before a trade last September sent him to Green Bay where he immediately entered the team’s rotation.

Last season, Goodson graded similarly to both Schobert and Kirksey, ranking as the 54th highest graded linebacker out of 89 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.

Jadeveon Clowney Seeking $20MM/Year

March 18th, 2020 at 6:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Jadeveon Clowney is seeking some big money, and teams are unwilling to meet his demands. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports (via Twitter) that the pass rusher is seeking $20MM per year, and “interested teams aren’t coming up that high.”

We heard earlier today that Clowney had been disappointed by his offers so far, and there’s a feeling that the best offer might come from his 2019 squad, the Seahawks. As our own Zach Links pointed out, many of the top free agent pass rushers were retained via franchise tag, leaving Clowney practically alone atop a barren market. However, as Russini points out, some teams may be using that franchise value – which is about $5MM less than what Clowney is seeking – as a basis for their offer.

Earlier this month, the Giants and Colts were both said to have interest in Clowney, but they’ve since addressed their needs. At this point, a reunion with Seattle may be one of 27-year-old’s only choices.

Clowney posted just three sacks in 2019, but he was still effective against opposing passers and running backs. For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 20th best edge defender in the NFL.

Vikings, DT Michael Pierce Agree On Deal

March 18th, 2020 at 6:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:05pm: The deal is done, and it’s a nice one for the four-year veteran. Pierce agreed to a three-year, $27MM contract with the Vikings, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The 27-year-old defender will receive $18MM guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

5:47pm: With longtime Vikings defensive tackle starter Linval Joseph bound for Los Angeles, the team appears close to bringing in a big-name replacement.

The Vikings are close to a deal with former Ravens D-lineman Michael Pierce, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The sides are discussing a three-year contract, per Anderson.

Minnesota has retooled considerably in recent days, moving on from some key starters. Pierce would represent a solid first-stringer to come in and fill Joseph’s spot. Pierce graded as one of the top interior defenders in football in 2017 and ’18, per Pro Football Focus, before dipping to a middle-of-the-pack spot in his contract year.

The 6-foot, 340-pound defensive lineman recorded 35 tackles (two for loss) last season in 14 starts. The Ravens, however, have made changes up front as well. They’ve added Calais Campbell and Michael Brockers, almost certainly signaling a lucrative Pierce contract is off the table.

Starter Shamar Stephen, fourth-year cog Jaleel Johnson and third-year player Jalyn Holmes remain under contract with the Vikings, so it will be interesting to see what the team pays for Pierce. The mammoth lineman had a conditioning issue that prevented him from early work at Ravens minicamp last year. The former UDFA rebounded in time for the regular season, however, and resides as one of the top defensive linemen left on the market.

Jaguars Sign DL Rodney Gunter

March 18th, 2020 at 6:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Rodney Gunter is signing with the Jaguars, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It’s a three-year for the defensive lineman.

The 2015 fourth-round pick had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, including a 2019 campaign where he started a career-high 13 games. The 28-year-old has compiled 11 sacks through five seasons in the NFL, including 7.5 over the past two years.

The Jaguars have been busy revamping their defense over the past few days. The front office spent big money to get linebacker Joe Schobert to Jacksonville, and they also signed cornerback Darqueze Dennard.

Seahawks Shopping Tedric Thompson

March 18th, 2020 at 5:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks free safety Tedric Thompson has been given permission to seek a trade, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). He adds that if they’re able to swing a deal, it’ll likely be for a late-round draft pick. 

Thompson saw his 2019 season cut short by a shoulder injury. Before that, he started in all six of their games and came away with two interceptions. Meanwhile, the advanced metrics were not high on his performance. At the time, Thompson was a bottom-five safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

The Seahawks did better in coverage without Thompson in the lineup, thanks in part to midseason trade pickup Quandre Diggs. Despite flashes of big-play ability, Thompson has not been consistent over three years with Seattle and he no longer fits into the club’s plans.

As it stands, Thompson is set to earn $2.3MM in 2020. If they don’t find a taker for him, they could release him instead to save $2.1MM.

Seahawks Reach Agreement With Brandon Shell

March 18th, 2020 at 5:47pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Seahawks have come to terms on a contract with free-agent offensive tackle Brandon Shell, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the deal spans two-years and is worth up to $11MM. Following Schefter’s report, ESPN’s Rich Cimini added that Seattle had been narrowing its focus on Shell for the past few days.

Seattle needed to find a replacement for Germain Ifedi, who signed with the Jets earlier in the day. It seems that the Seahawks and Jets will essentially be swapping tackles.

The Jets selected Shell in the 5th round of the 2016 draft (127 picks after the Seahawks selected Ifedi). In his four years with Gang Green, Shell started 40 games, appearing at both tackle spots and at right guard. Shell graded as the 51st best tackle last season out of 81 qualified players (Ifedi ranked 64th), per Pro Football Focus.

 

Giants Interested In Matt Moore?

March 18th, 2020 at 5:21pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Giants appear to be eyeing quarterback Matt Moore to serve as Daniel Jones‘ backup next season, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Obviously, Eli Manning served as Jones’ backup last season but has since retired.

Moore has been one of the league’s most popular backup quarterbacks since entering the league in 2007. Aside from the 2011 season, when Moore started 12 games for the Dolphins, he has never started more than 5 games in any one year. With that said, the Panthers, Dolphins, and Chiefs have all been comfortable using Moore as a primary backup.

Backing up Patrick Mahomes last season, Moore appeared in 6 games (2 starts), completed roughly 65 percent of his passes for 659 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

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