2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers K Chris Boswell Restructures Contract

March 16th, 2020 at 7:48pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers are eyeing limited cap space this offseason, but one of their veterans is helping them out a bit. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that kicker Chris Boswell has restructured his contract.

After bouncing between the Texans and Giants during his first year-plus in the NFL, Boswell has found a home in Pittsburgh. He’s appeared in 74 games during his five seasons with the Steelers, including a 2017 campaign where he earned a Pro Bowl nod.

The 29-year-old had one of his best seasons in 2019, connecting on 93.5-percent of his field goal attempts (29 of 31) and all 28 of his extra point tries.

Boswell signed a four-year deal worth close to $17MM prior to last season. He was set to have about a $3.6MM cap hit in 2020.

Jets Targeting Interior Linemen Stefen Wisniewski, Greg Van Roten

March 16th, 2020 at 7:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets have swung and missed on a handful of top free agents already, forcing them to shift their attention to some of their backup plans. They were reportedly in on guard Graham Glasgow, before he signed a big deal with the Broncos.

New York still needs help on the offensive line, and they’re now targeting a couple of lower-profile options along the interior. The Jets have “turned their attention” to guard/center Stefen Wisniewski and guard Greg Van Roten, sources told Connor Hughes of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Jets were also interested in guard Joe Thuney, before the Patriots shockingly franchise-tagged him this morning.

Both Wisniewski and Van Roten are longtime veterans with a lot of starting experience. Neither are elite players by any means, but they’re both respectable options. Wisniewski was a full-time starter with the Raiders and Jaguars his first five years in the league, then became a top reserve with the Eagles and started at least six games in each of his three years in Philly. He spent last year with the Chiefs and only started twice, his first season with less than six starts.

Van Roten entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012, but didn’t start a game until 2018 when he unexpectedly became Carolina’s starter at left guard and started all 16 games. He started all 11 that he appeared in this past year. As Hughes points out, he’s done quite well in pass protection.

Cowboys Eyeing Greg Zuerlein, Kai Forbath

March 16th, 2020 at 7:40pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys are reportedly eyeing free agent kickers. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports (via Twitter) that the organization has expressed interest in re-signing Kai Forbath. More notably, the reporter notes that Greg Zuerlein is on the team’s radar.

Greg The Leg has spent his entire seven-year career with the Rams, including a 2017 campaign where he earned a Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro recognition. While the veteran has connected on 82-percent of his field goal attempts during his career, that number dropped to only 72.7-percent in 2019.

Forbath had a three-game stint with the Cowboys last season, connecting on all 10 of his field goal attempts (including seven from the 40-49-yard range). He also spent two games with New England during the 2019 campaign.

The veteran has had stints with seven different organizations during his career, appearing in 81 career games.

Texans Sign S Eric Murray

March 16th, 2020 at 7:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Eric Murray is heading to Houston. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the safety is inking a three-year, $20.25MM deal with the Texans.

The 2016 fourth-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career with the Chiefs, and he started nine game for Kansas City during the 2018 campaign. The defensive back appeared in 45 games during his stint with the Chiefs.

Last offseason, he was dealt to Cleveland in exchange of Emmanuel Ogbah, and he proceeded to appear in nine games (four starts) for his new squad. Murray finished the year having compiled 24 tackles and one sack.

This is the second (former) Browns safety to sign elsewhere tonight. Earlier, we learned that Juston Burris was joining the Panthers.

49ers, Shon Coleman Agree To Extension

March 16th, 2020 at 7:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have agreed to a one-year extension with offensive tackle Shon Coleman, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (on Twitter). Last year, Coleman came into training camp last year as the favorite to become the team’s main swing tackle. Then, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury that caused the team to change course.

Coleman suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula during the first game of the preseason, an injury that immediately ruled him out for the rest of 2019. Fortunately, he’s now fully recovered and ready to help the defending NFC champs.

In other Niners news, DeForest Buckner is now a member of the Colts thanks to Monday afternoon’s shocking trade. In the swap, the 49ers have received the Colts’ first-round pick at No. 13 overall, a selection that could be flipped to give them a better stockpile of picks in April.

Eagles Sign NT Javon Hargrave

March 16th, 2020 at 7:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Javon Hargrave is now the highest-paid nose tackle in the NFL. The former Steelers standout has inked a three-year, $39MM deal with the Eagles, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The deal includes $26MM in guaranteed money.

Following a standout career at South Carolina State, the Steelers selected Hargrave in the third round of the 2016 draft. The lineman ended up spending four years in Pittsburgh, missing only a single regular season game along the way. Hargrave built off his breakout 2018 campaign this past year, finishing with 60 tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble.

It always seemed unlikely that he’d end up sticking with the Steelers. For starters, the organization had previously handed out significant contracts to Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Heyward, so it was uncertain if the front office would want to invest even more money on the defensive line. Further, the organization was already eyeing limited cap space.

Hargrave made the decision to switch agencies back in February, with the lineman hiring Drew Rosenhaus for his representation.

Saints Make Offer To Jamie Collins

March 16th, 2020 at 7:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are eyeing Jamie Collins. Nick Underhill reports (via Twitter) that the team has made an offer to the veteran linebacker. However, the reporter cautions that “it might take more to close the deal.”

Following a two-plus year stint with the Browns, Collins reunited with the Patriots last offseason on a one-year deal. The 30-year-old ended up setting a career-high with seven sacks to go along with 81 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

We heard earlier this month that the Saints could have interest in the veteran, even with the organization already rostering a 30-something starting linebacker in Demario Davis.

Unsurprisingly, the Patriots were also reportedly looking to retain the veteran. New England has already agreed to new deals with a pair of stalwarts in Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater.

Dolphins Agree To Terms With Kyle Van Noy

March 16th, 2020 at 7:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Dolphins are staying busy. Miami is signing Kyle Van Noy away from the Patriots shortly after we heard the Jets were talking to the outside linebacker, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

In other words, almost the entire AFC East was involved in some way. It’s a big payday for Van Noy, as the Dolphins are giving him a four-year, $51MM contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. $30MM of that is guaranteed. Miami just gave a record-breaking contract to cornerback Byron Jones, so they’re certainly spending big to revamp their defense. The move to sign Van Noy makes plenty of sense, as he played for Dolphins head coach Brian Flores when Flores was New England’s defensive coordinator.

To that end, we’ve heard Van Noy isn’t the only former Patriot that the Dolphins will be targeting. Van Noy is the latest free agent for the Jets to miss out on, as they also failed to sign Jones and James Bradberry after expressing interest, among others. Van Noy was drafted 40th overall by the Lions in 2014, and was initially a big disappointment.

He barely played his first couple of years in the league, but began to break out after he was traded to the Pats. He had 6.5 sacks last year while being a key part of a Patriots defense that put up historic numbers for much of the year. Miami obviously wasn’t all-in on winning this past year, but after a brief rebuild they’re clearly intent on turning things around in 2020.

They overachieved with Ryan Fitzpatrick and a bunch of cast-offs in 2019, so it’ll be very interesting to see what Flores can do with all these big new pieces.

Bears To Sign Jimmy Graham

March 16th, 2020 at 6:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jimmy Graham has found a new home, and he’s staying in the NFC North. The tight end is signing a two-year deal with the Bears, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

It’s a $16MM pact for Graham, with $9MM of that guaranteed. ESPN’s Field Yates has more details and notes that the deal includes some incentives and a rare no-trade clause (Twitter link).

The Packers cut Graham last week to avoid paying him the final year of the three-year, $30MM deal he signed with Green Bay in 2018. Graham established himself as one of the best offensive weapons in the game during his time with the Saints, having four straight seasons with at least 889 yards from 2011-14. A third-round pick back in 2010, Graham has made five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams.

He was traded to the Seahawks for a first-round pick in 2015, and his effectiveness started to dip after that. He had ten touchdowns in 2017 and was still a great redzone threat, but had only 520 yards. He got the big deal from the Packers but was a disappointment, only racking up 447 yards last season.

He’s been a warrior and has managed to play in all 16 games in four straight seasons, but he’s dealt with a seemingly never-ending string of minor injuries that have reduced his effectiveness physically. Now 33, it’s anyone’s guess as to what he’ll look like in 2020. Still, he should be an upgrade for the Bears, who haven’t had anything consistent at the position in years despite multiple attempts to address it. They gave a big contract to Trey Burton last offseason, and while they hope to still see a return on that investment, the deal for Graham suggests that Chicago doesn’t have a ton of confidence in Burton at this point.

Offseason Team Activities Delayed Indefinitely

March 16th, 2020 at 6:47pm CST by Ben Levine

In a memo to NFL teams, the league announced that offseason team activities have been delayed indefinitely (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). The league has also imposed some subtle changes to the free agent process.

In regards to OTAs, the league’s memo stated that “[t]he league and the NFLPA will continue to monitor the developing situation and follow the guidance of medical and public health professionals, including their respective medical advisors to determine an appropriate state date for such activities and other related considerations.”

The NFL also announced that free agency will still open on March 18th at 4pm. While teams and free agents are allowed to agree to contracts during this period, the NFL has requested that “clubs may not bring any free agent player, including their own, to a club facility or other location to meet with club personnel.”

Further, “club personnel, including members of the club medical staff, may not travel to any location to meet with a free agent player.”

As the memo notes, players and teams can still agree on whether a free agent will undergo a physical in “the player’s home city of other nearby location.” A team could “refrain from signing a player until the player either undergoes a neutral physical exam or the restrictions are lifted.”