2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins Sign Kamu Grugier-Hill

March 17th, 2020 at 1:50pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Dolphins have agreed to a one-year deal with linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Miami continues its offseason spending spree to add some linebacking and special teams depth.

Grugier-Hill has been with the Eagles for his entire career since he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. While he made 16 starts at linebacker in over the past two seasons, Grugier-Hill has served as a captain on special teams in Philadelphia for the previous three seasons.

In his career, Grugier-Hill has made 98 tackles, recorded one sack, one interception, 11 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hits, and 2 forced fumbles.

Jaguars To Sign Joe Schobert To ~$54MM Deal

March 17th, 2020 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have agreed to sign linebacker Joe Schobert to a five-year, $53.75MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The pact will pay him an average of $10.75MM per season with $22.5MM guaranteed.

Schobert moves from the Browns to the Jaguars, where he’ll try to help the front seven fill the gap left by the Calais Campbell trade. He won’t directly boost the edge rush in Campbell’s absence, but he’ll help to anchor the LB group and work against the run.

The two sides discussed an extension in November, but things cooled off as the season wore on. There was a bit of hope for a new deal when new GM Andrew Berry replaced John Dorsey, but they still weren’t able to bridge the gap. At the combine, the Browns informed Schobert’s rep that they would not offer the “double-digit millions” he was seeking in annual salary. Schobert, clearly, was able to get that money elsewhere.

The Wisconsin product has been a solid starter since entering the league as a fourth-round in 2016. Schobert made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and started all 16 games this past year, racking up 133 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, and nine passes defended.

Panthers Interested In Saints’ Vonn Bell

March 17th, 2020 at 1:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Vonn Bell could wind up changing teams while staying in the same division. The Panthers have shown interest in the Saints’ free agent safety, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The incumbent Saints are also hoping to keep him, she adds.

Bell, an Ohio State product, has spent his entire career with the Saints since entering the league in 2016. The former second-round pick has 61 appearances and 45 starts to his credit. Last year, he started in all 13 of his games for New Orleans and tallied 89 stops plus 1.5 sacks.

For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 47 safety in the NFL. With the Saints, he’s helped contain the run, resulting in a 43-game streak without allowing any single rusher to hit 100 yards. He’s also displayed his hard-hitting ability with seven career forced fumbles.

The Saints would like to keep Bell, but they do have Chauncey Gardner-Johnson waiting in the wings. The Panthers, meanwhile, could use help in the secondary after losing James Bradberry to the Giants in free agency.

49ers Re-Sign Ronald Blair

March 17th, 2020 at 1:37pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The 49ers defensive line underwent quite the shock on Monday when they traded DeForest Buckner to the Colts. However, after resigning Arik Armstead, San Francisco will also be reuniting with defensive lineman Ronald Blair on a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Over his four years in the Bay Area, Blair served as a situational pass-rusher and was the primary backup to Dee Ford and Nick Bosa this past season. Blair proved to be a solid option but suffered a torn-ACL in the team’s ninth game. Without Blair, San Francisco struggled to find another rotational piece to competently spell Bosa and Ford.

Blair seemed set to have an active market for his services this offseason, but the current situation surrounding COVID-19, which prevents teams from conducting physicals with free agents, likely limited interest from teams without familiarity with his ACL injury.

While San Francisco has a tough challenge to replace Buckner’s production, the team appears set to hope added depth (and better health) can help make up for some of their losses. Blair has recorded 88 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, and 22 tackles for loss in 47 games over his career.

Texans To Re-Sign Vernon Hargreaves

March 17th, 2020 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have reached agreement on a new deal with Vernon Hargreaves III, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Fiscal terms are not yet known, but he’ll come back on a fresh one-year deal.

The Texans claimed Hargreaves off waivers from the Bucs in a low-risk move to fortify their secondary. For the most part, it worked out for them. This offseason, they had the choice to trigger his fifth-year option, since he’s a former first-round pick, but the price tag didn’t make sense given what he’s done so far.

Instead, he’ll come back on a less costly deal. The Texans, meanwhile, seem optimistic about what he can do in 2020.

“Vernon came in here, he works very hard,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said earlier this year. “Very hard worker, guy that really showed up to practice every day, learned the system. I don’t think that’s easy to be able to come in, in the middle of a season, and really later than that, and play that nickel position is not easy.

So, I give a lot of credit to Vernon. There’s a lot of things that he’s going to work hard to improve upon. We’re going to help them with that, but I think Vernon stepped into a tough situation and really made the best of it.”

Dolphins Checked In On Ted Karras

March 17th, 2020 at 12:55pm CST by Marc Delucchi

As the Dolphins begin deploying their war chest of assets and cap space to upgrade a roster dearth of talent, the team appears to be eyeing options along the interior offensive line. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Miami has checked in with free-agent lineman Ted Karras. The team has yet to make a formal offer, per Jackson, but the sides are expected to talk further.

A rotational lineman in New England from 2016-2018, Karras had appeared in at least 13 games every season, but never started more than 2 games in any one season prior to 2019. However, in 2019, Karras became the team’s starting center, starting 15 games.

Karras did not perform exceptionally well but proved to be a solid option. Per Pro Football Focus, Karras ranked as the 20th highest graded center of 38 qualified players. Still just 27, and with only one season as a starter, there may be reason to expect Karras has more upside as well.

Patriots Tried To Trade For DeAndre Hopkins

March 17th, 2020 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Before the Cardinals swung their blockbuster deal for DeAndre Hopkins, the Patriots tried their hand with the Texans, Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter video link) hears. The Patriots were in on talks for the wide receiver over the past couple of weeks, but ultimately did not get a deal done.

During the talks, the Patriots might have been operating with the assumption that they’d be reunited with Tom Brady. Of course, that’s no longer the case – Brady announced on Tuesday morning that he’s leaving New England. Bill Belichick and the Patriots are of course no strangers to bringing in big name receivers, like when they traded for Randy Moss way back in 2007 or when they briefly signed Antonio Brown last season.

It’s possible that they made a push for Hopkins as part of a broader effort to entice Brady to stay. Despite the dominance of their defense New England’s offense struggled for much of last season, and the Pats were frequently criticized for not giving Brady enough weapons after the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.

It’s unclear what the Patriots were offering, although it’s possible that the Texans weren’t inclined to send him to a conference rival and would’ve preferred to send him to the NFC even if the compensation was similar or better. Texans coach/GM Bill O’Brien has been on the receiving end of a lot of flak for the startlingly small package he got from Arizona, but at least he was on the phone with multiple teams.

As for New England, Breer adds that they’re still looking at tight ends and receivers, so don’t expect them to give up on upgrading the offense. Obviously finding a new quarterback is now the top priority, but whoever it is will need an upgraded receiving corp. Julian Edelman, who has been Brady’s reliable safety blanket over the years, will turn 34 in May.

Five Teams Interested In Phillip Dorsett

March 17th, 2020 at 12:36pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Free-agent wideout Phillip Dorsett tells ESPN’s Josina Anderson that the Jets, Seahawks, Chargers, 49ers, and Raiders have all shown preliminary interest in his services. Dorsett added, “I just want to come in and have a great opportunity to play and showcase how I can really flourish as a player.”

While Dorsett has never lived up to the expectations placed upon a first-round pick (the Colts selected Dorsett with the 29th overall pick in 2015), he has consistently been a healthy pass-catching depth option over his five-year career.

Dorsett was most productive in 2016. Appearing in 15 games with a career-high 7 starts, Dorsett caught 33 receptions for 528 yards and 2 touchdowns with the Colts. Indianapolis shipped Dorsett to the Patriots the following offseason in a trade for quarterback Jacoby Brissett. In New England over the past three seasons, Dorsett was a decently productive depth piece, accruing 73 receptions for 881 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Of course, the Patriots struggles to find legitimate options at wide receiver over the past few seasons have been well documented. Yet even amidst the dire straights, Dorsett was never able to emerge as a top option. Still, given his long history as a sturdy player, it’s no surprise that many teams remain interested in his services.

Patriots Discussing Long-Term Deal With Joe Thuney

March 17th, 2020 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots caught many off guard by assigning the franchise tag to offensive lineman Joe Thuney on Monday. Many (including yours truly) speculated that the tag could be step one towards a tag-and-trade scenario, but that might not be the case. The club has discussed a long-term deal with the 27-year-old, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link).

With that, it’s at least possible that the Patriots will lock Thuney down for the long run. Still, it’s not in the Patriots’ nature to pay top dollar for players who are on the road towards open market riches. Even though Thuney will not get to explore his options this year, he’ll enter negotiations with plenty of leverage. If he were to stay with the team on the one-year tag, he’d either be in line to go into free agency unfettered next year, or force the Patriots to bump up his pay even further with a second tag.

The Patriots have a few months to hammer out a long-term deal with Thuney and ample time to explore trade scenarios. In the meantime, they’re feverishly at work to try and replace Tom Brady, who announced his departure from the team on Tuesday morning. Soon after his announcement, owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick issued statements to thank Brady for their many years together.

Jaguars Use Second-Round Tender On Keelan Cole

March 17th, 2020 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have applied the second-round tender to wide receiver Keelan Cole, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Cole was set for restricted free agency and the Jaguars hope that the tender level will ward off suitors.

In his three pro seasons with the Jaguars, Cole has hauled in 104 catches for 1,600 yards and seven touchdowns. Teams will have interest in him, of course, but they’ll also have to think long and hard about the total price tag. If a team signs Cole to an offer sheet and the Jaguars do not match it, they’ll have to cough up a second-round pick. Given the abundance of quality receivers in this year’s draft, it seems likely that those clubs would take a pass.

Cole signed with the Jags as an undrafted free agent back in 2017. He played his college ball at a tiny D2 school Kentucky Wesleyan, and has turned into a nice success story. He only made $645K last year as part of his rookie UDFA deal, so this will be a pretty nice pay-bump for him as the second-round tender is slated to clock in at a little over $3.1MM for 2020.

The tender is somewhat surprising considering Cole’s production has actually declined a bit each year. He had 748 yards as a rookie, 491 as a sophomore, and 361 this past year. His role did increase down the stretch this past season, but he still figures to be behind at least DJ Chark, Dede Westbrook, and Chris Conley on the depth chart next year.