2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Ravens To Bring Back Justin Ellis

March 17th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens will re-sign Justin Ellis on a one-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). A late-season addition, Ellis made a good impression on the team in a short sample.

Ellis found a nice free agent payday in 2018 when he signed a three-year, $15MM with the Raiders. Unfortunately, injuries kept him out of action and his Oakland tenure ended with an injury settlement/release. In November of last year, the Ravens picked him up and he rewarded them with solid run defense in a handful of games.

To date, Ellis has appeared in 70 career games with 42 starts.

Jaguars To Sign CB Darqueze Dennard

March 17th, 2020 at 3:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Jaguars have work to do at cornerback after trading Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, they added a role player at the position on Tuesday.

Former first-round Bengals pick Darqueze Dennard agreed to terms with the Jaguars, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Dennard signed a one-year Bengals pact last year but will move on after six seasons in Cincinnati.

Going into his age-29 season, Dennard served as the Bengals’ primary slot cornerback over the past several seasons. A knee injury limited him last year, however, with an offeseason procedure delaying his start to the season. He played in nine games for the 2-14 Bengals in 2019. In those nine contests, however, Dennard graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 overall corner.

Dennard joins fellow ex-first-rounder D.J. Hayden and third-year UDFA Tre Herndon as Jacksonville’s primary corners. Hayden played well in the slot for the Jags last season, however, so the team may need to sort out its cornerback configuration for the 2020 season. The Jaguars are almost certainly not done adding to this position group and should be expected to be players for early-round corners.

Bengals To Sign D.J. Reader

March 17th, 2020 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have reached agreement on a deal with Texans free agent defensive tackle D.J. Reader, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Reader is set to collect $53MM on his new four-year deal with Cincy.

The Broncos, Bills, and Titans were among the clubs connected to Reader in recent weeks. Just last night, we heard that Denver was in discussions with the Clemson product. The Texans, meanwhile, wanted to keep him, but the two sides were unable to come to terms on compensation. Reader was relatively unheralded coming out of college, slipping to the fifth-round in 2016. He’s certainly not unheralded anymore.

Reader was exceptional against the run last year. He’s also made strides as a pass rusher – he didn’t register a ton of sacks, but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. He was often able to generate some pressure up the middle, and disrupt the pocket. Now, he’ll pair with Geno Atkins to form one of the most intimidating interior duos in the NFL. The Bengals will now have an imposing defensive front, but they still have some work to do at linebacker and in the secondary.

Cincinnati usually wasn’t a big spender in free agency during the Marvin Lewis era, but they’ve clearly changed their approach with new head coach Zac Taylor. They’ve particularly been going after guys on defense, as we heard they tried aggressively for linebackers Joe Schobert and Nick Kwatikoski before those two guys landed their huge deals.

The Bengals’ defense was atrocious last year, and obviously they’re willing to spend big to revamp it. They’re hoping Reader and an improved defense will make life easier for a rookie quarterback, presumably LSU’s Joe Burrow, in 2020.

Ravens Expected To Decline CB Brandon Carr’s Option

March 17th, 2020 at 3:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Yet another cornerback is going to hit the open market. The Ravens are expected to decline Brandon Carr’s option and send him to free agency, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

We had heard the Ravens were unlikely to retain Carr if they brought back fellow corner Jimmy Smith, and now it sounds like Carr will be moving on even if Smith isn’t back. Carr will turn 34 in May, but he started all 16 games for Baltimore this past season. Carr has been remarkably durable, never missing a game or start in his 12-year career. Originally a fifth-round pick out of tiny D2 school Grand Valley State back in 2008, Carr has carved out quite the career for himself.

He’s never been elite or made the Pro Bowl, but has been a solid starter for many years. He spent the first four years of his career with the Chiefs and then five with the Cowboys, before signing a four-year, $23.5MM pact with the Ravens in 2017. With Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, who they acquired in a trade last season, both under contract, Carr became more expendable.

His playing time was reduced after the Peters trade, and it’s clear the Ravens want to get younger at the position. Humphrey is 23 and Peters is 27. All eyes will now turn to Smith, and the last we heard is that he’s planning on testing the open market while the two sides are both still interested in a potential reunion.

Eagles Re-Sign Rodney McLeod

March 17th, 2020 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have re-signed Rodney McLeod to a two-year contract, per a club announcement. The new deal will be worth $12MM in total, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) hears.

McLeod has been a starter since the 2013 season, when he was still with the (St. Louis) Rams. That streak continued in 2016 when he hooked on with the Eagles, though he was interrupted by a knee injury in 2018 that limited him to just three games. After that, the Eagles asked him to adjust his deal and he obliged.

Last year, he was able to return and start in all 16 of the Eagles’ regular season games. He came away with two interceptions – bringing his career tally to 13 picks – along with six passes defensed, two forced fumbles, one sack, and 76 total stops.

McLeod is currently slated to return to his starting position. This time around, he’ll be paired with Jalen Mills on the first-string unit. Earlier today, the Birds re-upped Mills on a one-year deal and declined their option on locker room leader Malcolm Jenkins.

Rams Won’t Exercise Option On CB Nickell Robey-Coleman

March 17th, 2020 at 3:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another cornerback is hitting the market. The Rams have informed Nickell Robey-Coleman that they won’t pick up his option and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Robey-Coleman would’ve had a $4.5MM cap hit had the Rams picked up his option. Los Angeles has been shedding defenders left and right in free agency, as starters Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton both just landed big contracts from other teams. Eric Weddle also retired, so the defense is going to look quite a bit different in 2020. The Rams traded away cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib midway through last season, so their current unit is virtually unrecognizable from the one we saw at the beginning of last year.

Robey-Coleman appeared in all 16 games and while he only started three, he played about 64 percent of the defensive snaps, so this is a significant move. The Rams have Jalen Ramsey at corner now, but not a whole lot after him. Troy Hill is still under contract, and last year’s third-round pick David Long will likely be counted on to play a bigger role assuming they don’t make any more moves.

Originally an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2013, Robey-Coleman signed a three-year, $15.75MM deal with the Rams back in 2018 that included an option for the 2020 season. Primarily a slot corner, Robey-Coleman is perhaps most well known for being the defender on the infamous pass interference non-call in the Rams’ NFC Championship Game win over the Saints two seasons ago. He should generate significant interest from teams looking for someone to man the slot.

Jets Re-Sign Alex Lewis

March 17th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have agreed to terms on a new three-year, $18.6MM deal with Alex Lewis, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). This, of course, comes after the Jets failed to sign their preferred OL targets this week.

In fairness to Gang Green, the Jets had designs on keeping Lewis before the legal tampering period got underway. New Jets GM Joe Douglas acquired him in August of last year (a few months into his tenure) and wanted to hang on to him after he gave the team 15 appearances and 12 starts.

The former fourth-round Ravens pick graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 57 overall guard last season. Given the massive rise in the interior line market and Lewis’ relative youth – he won’t turn 28 until just before the draft – it’s hard to totally pan the deal.

Chargers To Add T Bryan Bulaga

March 17th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers will make a big move to bolster their needy tackle group. They are signing longtime Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a three-year, $30MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Bulaga spent 10 seasons in Green Bay, but when the Packers added Ricky Wagner, it became clear their incumbent would move on. The Bolts experienced rampant trouble at tackle last season, and Bulaga will now help protect Los Angeles’ to-be-determined quarterback.

In Bulaga and Trai Turner, the Bolts have now added higher-end starters at multiple positions up front. While L.A. used Russell Okung to acquire Turner, the team’s offensive line group is undoubtedly improved going forward. With the Bolts still in the running for Tom Brady, the Bulaga addition could be significant.

Despite Bulaga going into his 11th season, he will only turn 31 next week. He has battled injuries during his career but played 16 games this past season and 14 in 2018. Bulaga graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 overall tackle last season. The Chargers’ primary right-side option — Sam Tevi — graded as PFF’s No. 61 tackle last season.

While the Chargers still may have a need at left tackle, they now have two eight-figure-per-year players up front in these newcomers. They and the Buccaneers are the frontrunners for Brady, and each features talented skill-position arsenals. The 20-year veteran revealed Tuesday morning he would not return to the Patriots, and with Philip Rivers choosing the Colts, this likely sets the stage for either the Bolts or Bucs’ Q rating rising immensely soon.

Raiders To Sign Maliek Collins

March 17th, 2020 at 3:08pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Jason Witten is not the only Cowboy moving to Las Vegas, Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group reports that defensive tackle Maliek Collins is heading to the Raiders as well. Collins has been a starter on the interior of Dallas’ defensive line since his rookie year in 2016.

Still just 24 years old, Collins has already started 55 games in his four-year career, and while Collins has never put up big numbers, he has a rare combination of experience and youth valuable to any team. In 2019, Collins recorded 4 sacks, 20 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, and 6 tackles for loss.

The Cowboys will now need to look for another option along the front four, while the Raiders have a young, new addition to enter into the fold.

Raiders To Sign Jason Witten

March 17th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here’s one that not many people saw coming. Tight end Jason Witten will be signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link).

It’s a one-year deal that can be worth up to $4.75MM, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Although we heard last month that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanted Witten back, the tight end himself had said he was open to playing with another team. Witten also said that he preferred to finish his career in Dallas, but obviously it didn’t work out. Witten is a Cowboys icon, who spent 16 years with the team before now finally moving on at the age of 37.

Witten, of course, retired after the 2017 season for a brief and ill-fated stint as the Monday Night Football color commentator for ESPN. He’ll now be playing for a coach, Jon Gruden, who used to hold that exact role. After sitting out 2018 he returned to the Cowboys last year, and played a relatively significant role.

He appeared in all 16 games, catching 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns. Despite his advanced age Witten has been remarkably durable, appearing in all 16 games in each of his last 15 seasons. He’ll likely play a reduced role as a pass-catcher in Vegas, and will probably serve as more of a mentor for Darren Waller, the Raiders tight end who broke out last year.

Witten was one of the last remaining ties to the old era of Cowboys football, and Dallas will likely move forward with Blake Jarwin as their unquestioned starter at the position. They signaled as much by inking him to a three-year extension Monday. Witten will end his run in Dallas as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receptions, yards, and games played. He’s also fourth on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.