HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

Ravens Cut OT James Hurst

March 16th, 2020 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have released offensive tackle James Hurst, as ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley tweets. Hurst was suspended for the first four games of the 2020 season. Now, he’ll try to hook on elsewhere.

Hurst appeared in all 16 games for the Ravens in 2019 and made a pair of starts. In February, he went from on-the-bubble to a likely goner when the league handed him a one-month ban for performance-enhancing substances.

Hurst was set to count for a $5.25MM cap hit in 2020. Instead, the Ravens will shed his deal to save $2.75MM against $2.5MM in dead money.

The 28-year-old former UDFA has been with the Ravens since 2014. He appeared in 90 games over that span and started all of his games in 2017 and 2018.

Latest On DeAndre Hopkins

March 16th, 2020 at 3:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Texans stunned the football world by trading star DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals. We’ll run down the latest on the trade here:

  • The Texans recognized that they would have to renegotiate Hopkins’ contract at some point if they wanted to keep him, but they’re prioritizing new deals for Deshaun Watson and offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, Yahoo’s Charles Robinson tweets. Hopkins had three years remaining on his team-friendly contract, so the Texans felt that a fresh deal was premature. Meanwhile, they see opportunities to replenish at wide receiver via the draft, as well as some options for trades. All in all, the Texans viewed the Hopkins trade as the first step towards a larger plan that will cover them on both sides of the ball.
  • Another contributing factor: Ongoing friction between Hopkins and head coach Bill O’Brien, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Contract Details: Castonzo, Kirksey, Cousins, Jarwin

March 16th, 2020 at 3:37pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Broncos Tender OL Elijah Wilkinson

March 16th, 2020 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

MARCH 16: Wilkinson indeed received a second-round tender from the Broncos, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

MARCH 2: The Broncos are “likely” to cuff offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson with the second-round tender, according to Mike Klis of 9News. The tender would cost roughly $3.2MM, or give the Broncos a second-round pick if someone were to sign him to an offer sheet that goes unmatched.

Wilkinson, 25, has started games on the inside and the outside for the Broncos. The plan is to have him work at both left tackle and right guard next year, allowing them to take full advantage of his versatility.

The Broncos’ offensive line figures to look different in 2020 – for starters, Ronald Leary won’t be brought back on his option. Meanwhile, left tackle Garrett Bolles may or may not be part of the plan for 2021 and beyond. The club will mull all of its options between now and May before deciding on his fifth-year add-on.

In 2018, Wilkinson saw seven starts at right guard. Last year, he started 12 times while Ja’Wuan James was injured. The advanced metrics showed that he wasn’t quite spectacular, though he was solid – he finished out with a 59.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus, slotting him as the 59th ranked qualified tackle in the NFL. That type of showing would make a one-year, $3.2MM salary well worth it for Denver.

On the other side of the ball, the Broncos are reportedly eyeing Texans free agent nose tackle D.J. Reader. Meanwhile, they’ll allow defensive lineman Adam Gotsis to reach the open market.

Redskins Re-Sign LB Jon Bostic

March 16th, 2020 at 3:22pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As the free agency frenzy continues, the Redskins are re-upping one of their own. Washington is re-signing linebacker Jon Bostic on a two-year deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Yates reports the deal with have a base value of $5MM, and that Bostic will get $1.75MM guaranteed. The full details of the contract are base salaries of $960K and $1.69MM, a $500k first-day 2020 roster bonus, and $200K in per-game roster bonuses for 2020, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. There will then be $400K in 2021 per-game active roster bonuses, and $800K annually in playing-time incentives. Considering Bostic signed a one-year deal worth only $895K last offseason, this is a pretty nice pay bump for the Florida product. Bostic originally entered the league as a second-round pick of the Bears back in 2013.

He never lived up to his draft status in Chicago and although he started 17 games across his first two years, he was made a healthy scratch for the first few games of 2015. He was soon shipped off to the Patriots for a sixth-round pick, and barely played in New England. He missed the entire 2016 season with a foot injury, but then resurfaced with the Colts in 2017 and became a starter. He started 14 games with the Steelers in 2018, with middling results.

He landed with the Redskins last year and ended up starting all 16 games, playing reasonably well.The inside linebacker finished with 105 tackles, a sack, and an interception. He’s reached true journeyman status in recent years, but it sounds like he might’ve finally found a more permanent home in Washington.

Latest On Bears’ QB Search

March 16th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bears are seemingly casting a wide net and while who they add is still up in the air, it seems clear they are targeting a middle-tier veteran quarterback to push Mitchell Trubisky. They’ve been connected to both the Jaguars’ Nick Foles and the Bengals’ Andy Dalton, and earlier today we heard they’ve had talks with free agent Teddy Bridgewater.

But while they’ve had exploratory discussions with Bridgewater, Chicago is “focused” on landing either Foles or Dalton, a source told Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Unsurprisingly, Werder passes along that the organization wants Trubisky to have to compete for the starting job. He also notes that both Foles and Dalton have either played for Bears head coach Matt Nagy or a member of his staff.

Nagy was an assistant in Philadelphia under Andy Reid during Foles’ rookie season with the Eagles, and then was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City when Foles spent 2016 with the Chiefs. Chicago just hired Bill Lazor to be their new offensive coordinator this offseason, who has extensive ties to Dalton. Lazor was the Bengals’ quarterbacks coach in 2016, and their offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018.

It looks like the Jaguars are leaning toward going with Gardner Minshew as their starter, and as such would like to move Foles and get rid of his hefty contract. However we’ve also heard that the Jags aren’t desperate to move Foles, and want real compensation in return. The Bengals are widely assumed to be taking a quarterback first overall in next month’s draft, and don’t really have much need for Dalton any more. Dalton is due a very reasonable $17.5MM in the final year of his contract, which has led to plenty of trade speculation.

Both Dalton and Foles would make for very expensive backups, and while the Bears are posturing as if they just want to push Trubisky, it’s likely whoever they trade for would be a heavy favorite to start. According to Werder, it sounds like Chicago is intent on acquiring one of those two.

Vikings, Britton Colquitt Agree To Deal

March 16th, 2020 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings will bring back Britton Colquitt. Minnesota will re-sign its punter, per Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter).

Colquitt agreed to a three-year, $9MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He will receive $5MM guaranteed. Colquitt, 34, was a free agent so he is signed through the 2022 season.

The Browns featured Colquitt as their punter for three seasons but cut him just before the 2019 regular season, and he landed in Minnesota. He averaged 45.2 yards per punt last season. The former Broncos punter will attempt to become a long-term Viking on his latest NFL contract.

49ers Trade DeForest Buckner To Colts

March 16th, 2020 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have agreed to trade All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Colts, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In this stunner of a deal, the Colts will send their first-round pick (No. 13 overall) to San Francisco and sign Buckner to a newly-minted monster contract. 

Buckner’s new pact will pay him $21MM per year and make him the second-highest paid DT in league history. Now, only Aaron Donald ranks higher on the all-time list at the position.

The deal leaves the Niners with a major hole to fill on their world-class defensive front. The deal also gives them additional draft artillery. The 49ers now own two first-round picks (Nos. 13 and 31 overall), which they could quickly parlay into a larger stockpile. As of this writing, they have no picks in Rounds 2, 3, or 4. One of those first-rounders will now likely be traded for better depth in April, Schefter tweets.

Just hours ago, the 49ers struck a deal to keep defensive lineman Arik Armstead in the fold for the long-haul. His five-year deal, potentially worth $85MM, seemed to signal that the Niners would be keeping the band together. Instead, it was one half of a difficult choice the 49ers felt they had to make. With the trade, the Niners will be able to apply their limited cash to other areas and replenish with younger talent in the draft.

The former No. 7 overall pick was exceptional in 2019 and was awarded an All-Pro selection for his performance. The Oregon product tallied 62 tackles, nine for a loss, and 7.5 sacks last year as the 49ers rumbled their way to the Super Bowl. With 28.5 career sacks, he has a proven track record of getting to the quarterback and changing the complexion of any game.

The Colts, meanwhile, entered the offseason with adding pass-rush help high on their to-do list. They were particularly soft on the interior; so the upgrade that Buckner provides cannot be understated.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, things seem to be heating up with Philip Rivers. The Colts just might start free agency with the acquisition of two superstars to address their two biggest areas of need.

Panthers Release Colin Jones

March 16th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have released Colin Jones, according to Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). The safety and special teams captain requested his release as he did not want to be a part of the team’s rebuilding effort. They’ve granted that request.

Jones, a nine-year pro, has spent eight seasons with the Panthers. He’s hardly missed time over that stretch, including perfect attendance in each of the last three seasons.

At the age of 32 (33 in October), Jones is eager to win. Given his track record, he shouldn’t have a hard time finding work.

Vikings Place Second-Round Tender On LB Eric Wilson

March 16th, 2020 at 2:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Vikings aren’t going to let Eric Wilson get poached in free agency. Minnesota has tendered the restricted free agent at the second-round level, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).

As Tomasson notes, the second-round tender is going to be worth a little bit over $3.1MM for 2020. The move ensures that if any team signs Wilson to an offer sheet and the Vikings decline to match, they’d get that team’s second-round pick in return. Wilson has been a solid contributor the past two seasons, but it’s extremely unlikely any team would give up that kind of pick for him, so he’ll almost certainly be back in Minnesota next season.

The Cincinnati product signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent back in 2017, and mostly played on special teams as a rookie. He has since become a nice diamond in the rough find, starting ten games over the past two years and playing a big role on defense.

This past year he played around 35 percent of the defensive snaps while still playing a lot on special teams. He made six starts and racked up 62 tackles and three sacks. The original-round tender is projected to be a little over $2.1MM but since he was undrafted the Vikings wouldn’t have gotten any compensation had he left in that scenario, so they decided to pony up and pay the extra $1MM to make sure he stays put.

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