2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Falcons To Sign Dante Fowler Jr.

March 18th, 2020 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Dante Fowler Jr. has agreed to sign with the Falcons, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a three-year deal for the pass rusher (per Rapoport). Fowler will be getting a whopping $48MM over the three years, ESPN’s Vaughn McClure tweets.

The former third-overall pick joined the Rams via trade midway through the 2018 season. He finally exploded for a career season in 2019, finishing with career-highs in tackles (58), sacks (11.5), passes defended (six), and forced fumbles (two).

Fowler had spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Jaguars, including a rookie campaign that was wiped out thanks to a torn ACL.

In Atlanta, he’ll be playing under head coach Dan Quinn, who actually worked with Fowler when the two were at Florida. He’ll immediately provide some reinforcement to a pass rush that recently lost Vic Beasley via free agency.

With the Falcons being low in space space, the past two days have mostly been highlighted by players they’ve released, including running back Devonta Freeman. Otherwise, they’ve extended defensive tackle Tyeler Davison and traded for tight end Hayden Hurst.

According to Rapoport, the Rams tried to retain Fowler. The team has already seen several key defensive free agents leave, including linebacker Cory Littleton (Raiders) and defensive lineman Michael Brockers (Ravens).

Jets Re-Sign Brian Poole

March 18th, 2020 at 1:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets will retain one of their own. New York is re-signing cornerback Brian Poole on a one-year fully guaranteed deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Poole will be getting $5MM for the 2020 season, he reports. Poole signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, and quickly made a name for himself in Atlanta. He started nine games in his first pro season, and he signed with the Jets on a one-year contract worth $3.5MM after his initial rookie deal expired.

Poole appeared in 14 games for the Jets this past season and made ten starts, racking up 59 tackles, five passes defended, and a pick-six he got off Derek Carr in a blowout win over the Raiders. Poole played pretty well for Gregg Williams’ defense last season, earning strong marks from Pro Football Focus, and the Jets have some solid pieces in their secondary. Despite being on his third contract now, the Florida product is still only 27.

Colts, Packers, Redskins Interested In Delanie Walker

March 18th, 2020 at 1:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans’ starting tight end for seven seasons, Delanie Walker now resides in free agency. Two injury-plagued seasons led to his release. But a market has formed for the veteran target.

The Colts, Packers and Redskins have expressed interest in Walker, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Walker will turn 36 just before Week 1.

While Walker posted four straight 800-yard seasons from 2014-17, the 14-year veteran has played in just eight games since. The ankle injury he suffered in September 2018 held him back last season as well. This will certainly affect his market, but teams are nonetheless interested.

The NFL’s current landscape stacks the odds against free agents with injury concerns, however. Players are not allowed to visit teams’ facilities, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may not be permitted to do so for the foreseeable future. This could leave Walker in limbo for the time being.

Washington features a major need at the position, having seen Vernon Davis retire and having cut Jordan Reed. Green Bay pursued Austin Hooper, but Cleveland won that derby early in the tampering period. Indianapolis opted against re-signing Eric Ebron but still has Jack Doyle under contract. Ebron remains unsigned and would stand to land a deal before Walker.

Bolts Not Expected To Acquire Veteran QB

March 18th, 2020 at 1:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Finishing as the Tom Brady silver or bronze medalists — depending on how close the Patriots came in that pursuit — the Chargers may be moving in a different direction. It may have been Brady-or-bust regarding Los Angeles’ interest in adding a veteran quarterback.

The Bolts are not expected to sign or trade for a veteran quarterback, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. As of now, they are moving forward with Tyrod Taylor.

This points to the team being prepared to use its No. 6 overall pick on a quarterback or trade up for one. The Chargers have not selected a first-round quarterback since Eli Manning 16 years ago. The team announced early in the offseason it was moving on from 38-year-old Philip Rivers, its starter since 2006. That leaves Taylor, whom the Bolts signed last offseason.

Taylor being a bridge passer would not be a new role for the veteran. The 30-year-old quarterback served in this role with the Browns in 2018, coming over in a trade prior to Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield pick. The Chargers have been linked to Justin Herbert at No. 6, and Utah State’s Jordan Love could factor into this equation. Teams’ quarterback pursuits will be more difficult to pin down. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL banned pre-draft visits this year.

Chargers To Sign Linval Joseph

March 18th, 2020 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

After beefing up their offensive line, the Chargers are turning their attention to the other side of the ball. On Wednesday, the Bolts reached agreement on a deal with free agent defensive tackle Linval Joseph (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo).

It’s a two-year, $17MM deal for the former Vikings standout. He’ll be able to collect an additional $2MM, too, if he hits certain incentives. Joseph will receive $9.5MM guaranteed, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who adds the veteran D-lineman declined a Vikings request for a pay cut (Twitter link).

Earlier this month, the Vikings dropped Joseph after seven seasons with the club. Between his release and the release of cornerback Xavier Rhodes, the Vikes carved out $18MM in cap space. The Chargers, who created room by cutting linebacker Thomas Davis and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane late last week, were happy to bring Joseph into the fold.

Joseph has often been one of the league’s best defensive tackles, and he made the Pro Bowl in back to back seasons from 2016-17. A second-round pick of the Giants way back in 2010, Joseph turned 31 in October and should have at least a couple more years left in the tank.

The East Carolina product should slide in as an immediate starter with Los Angeles, and the Chargers now quietly have one of the most talented defensive fronts in the league. With Joseph in the middle and stud edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa on either side of him, the Chargers will be very hard to block.

49ers To Re-Sign Ben Garland

March 18th, 2020 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are set to re-sign Ben Garland, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’ll return on a one-year deal worth $2.25MM.

Garland joined the Niners last year after three seasons with the Falcons. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan overlapped with him in that first Atlanta season, making it a natural fit.

Garland entered the NFL as a defensive lineman but later found his footing as a protector. He’s never been a full-time starter, but he’s been well-regarded by coaches and advanced metrics alike for his work in recent years.

Chiefs Rework Frank Clark’s Deal

March 18th, 2020 at 12:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chiefs are clearing up some cap space. Kansas City is restructuring defensive end Frank Clark‘s contract to convert $5MM of his base salary into a signing bonus, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The move will give the Chiefs some extra wiggle room with cap flexibility as the cap hit will now be spread over the course of the contract rather than all being charged for this year. Kansas City currently has very little cap space, and this move was necessary just to get them under the cap. Not surprisingly, they’ve been very quiet in free agency as a result.

The only move the defending Super Bowl champions have made so far is re-signing backup quarterback Chad Henne, and they’ve had to watch as some of their own guys like Kendall Fuller walk out the door and sign big deals elsewhere. This likely isn’t where the maneuvering will end, as the Chiefs have to clear up even more space for some possible extensions, like the one they want to give Patrick Mahomes.

For example, they’ve confirmed that they want Sammy Watkins to take a paycut if he’s going to come back to the team in 2020. Kansas City gave up first and second-round picks to acquire Clark last offseason, and he finished with eight sacks in 14 games. After the trade he signed a five-year deal worth a whopping $105.5MM, and he’s locked up through the 2023 season.

Jaguars Trade Nick Foles To Bears

March 18th, 2020 at 12:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have agreed to trade Nick Foles to the Bears, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). In exchange, the Bears will send a compensatory fourth-round pick to the Jags. The former Super Bowl MVP will restructure his hefty contract as part of the trade, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets.

It’ll be new surroundings for Foles, but he’ll have plenty of familiar faces to help him adjust. Head coach Matt Nagy is among the staffers that have worked with him in the past, which will help with the learning curve.

The Bears have been exploring alternatives to former first-round pick Mitchell Trubisky this offseason, though they’re not necessarily out to replace him. Instead, Foles figures to serve as competition for the soon-to-be 26-year-old.

Trubisky showed plenty of promise in 2018 as he led the Bears to an 11-3 mark in 14 starts, a campaign that resulted in his first ever Pro Bowl nod. However, things got really rocky last year – Trubisky had just 17 touchdowns against ten interceptions and the Bears’ D couldn’t make up for the shortcomings. The Bears went 8-7 in Trubisky’s 15 starts and finished .500 on the season, leaving them short of the playoffs.

Chicago initially insisted after the year that they’d roll with Trubisky in 2020, but reports soon emerged that they were going to look for a veteran to push Trubisky. They’ve been connected to a number of signal-callers including Foles, Andy Dalton, and Teddy Bridgewater, and we heard Monday that they were focused on trading for either Foles or Dalton.

The Bears will take on the last three years of Foles’ contract, which pays a base value of $50M before the restructure. The Jaguars will be left with a substantial dead money hit of $18.75MM in 2020 and a mid-round pick. Jacksonville seems prepared to turn things over to Gardner Minshew, the sixth-rounder who went 6-6 last year as a rookie and finished the season with a top-10 interception rate.

Foles has had plenty of success at Soldier Field, as his last win as a starting quarterback was in Chicago in the wild card round of the playoffs two seasons ago in the infamous ‘double-doink’ game. While the Bears have insisted they aren’t giving up on Trubisky, it would be highly unusual to pay a backup quarterback as much money as Foles is getting, and it would be surprising if he doesn’t take over at some point.

Chicago now has even less draft capital, as they’ve already shipped out a bunch of picks in previous deals. They now have the 43rd and 50th overall selections in next month’s draft, but no other picks in the first four-rounds, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes in a tweet breaking down all of their picks.

Panthers Release S Eric Reid

March 18th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

Eric Reid and the Panthers are going their separate ways. On Wednesday, the veteran safety took to Twitter to announce that he will be released by the club:

“It’s been a pleasure Carolina! I enjoyed my time and the support I received from the fans, media, teammates, and staff there will be remembered. Looking forward to furthering my career in another city!”

The Panthers subsequently confirmed the move. This will end a two-year tenure with Carolina.

Reid, 28, hasn’t been on the open market since 2018. In that offseason, he was forced to wait until September before landing the deal. Some believe that Reid’s relationship with Colin Kaepernick and role in national anthem protests hampered his market. Others pointed to the NFL’s safety market stagnating league-wide – other notable safeties also struggled to find substantial dollars in that cycle. In truth, both were likely factors.

This time around, Reid should fare much better. Last season, Reid started in all 16 games and thrived as he was deployed in blitz action. He finished out the year with four sacks and an eye-popping 130 tackles, good for a brand new career best.

Reid was set to play out the final two years of the three-year extension he signed in February of 2019. Instead, the Panthers will drop him to save $3MM against $5MM in dead money. Per the terms of his deal, his 2020 salary would have shifted to a full guarantee on the third day of the league year had he remained on the roster.

The release comes as a surprise, though the Panthers have been in full rebuild mode all throughout the offseason. After cutting ties with head coach Ron Rivera and tight end Greg Olsen, the club kicked things into high gear this week by putting quarterback Cam Newton on the trade block.

Dolphins To Sign Ted Karras

March 18th, 2020 at 11:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have landed the Patriots’ starting center. Ted Karras will come to the Dolphins on a one-year, $4MM deal, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.

The offensive line has been a major area of need for the Dolphins this offseason and they’ve moved to address it in recent days. Earlier this week, they inked Ereck Flowers to a three-year deal worth $30MM, including $19.5MM fully guaranteed – a pact reflective of the league’s dearth of quality linemen. Next, the Dolphins will have to figure out their left tackle situation and Jackson hears they’re likely to find their man in the draft.

The Patriots are hoping to have David Andrews retake his spot in the middle of the line, but that will all depend on his health. Andrews missed all of 2019 with blood clots in his lungs and has expressed optimism about being about to play in 2020.

The rumors linking the Dolphins to Tom Brady didn’t pan out, but they’ve been aggressive in March nonetheless. So far this week, they’ve signed cornerback Byron Jones, running back Jordan Howard, linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah.