HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

Latest On Redskins OL Trent Williams

March 14th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Redskins’ asking price for offensive lineman Trent Williams is “starting” at a second-rounder, reports ESPN’s Josina Anderson (via Twitter).

However, the front office’s demands shouldn’t necessarily be blamed for a lack of a trade; rather, as Anderson points out, “a trade has been slowed” by Williams’ contractual demands. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes those sentiments (Twitter link), noting that the “asking price on a new contract is more of an issue now than Washington’s ask on trade compensation.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean a team will simply hand over a second-round pick. Rapoport notes that teams still aren’t willing to meet the Redskins’ asking price. However, the reporter believes a potential suitor would be more flexible if the offensive lineman were to agree to a reasonable new deal.

We learned earlier this month that the organization was giving their perennial Pro Bowl left tackle permission to seek a trade. At the same time, Williams is seeking a new contract, and he wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. Williams is set to make $12.5MM in the final year of his current deal. The Browns and Jets have been mentioned as suitors for the veteran lineman.

The seven-time Pro Bowler missed 13 games from 2016-18 and became embroiled with previous Washington president Bruce Allen because of a health scare in 2019. The 31-year-old ended up sitting out the entire 2019 season.

Texans Re-Sign CB Phillip Gaines

March 14th, 2020 at 10:09am CST by Ben Levine

Phillip Gaines is re-signing with Houston. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the veteran cornerback has signed with the Texans. It’s a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum.

The 28-year-old has bounced around the league a bit since being selected in the third round of the 2014 draft. His best season came with the Chiefs in 2016, when he had 44 tackles, seven passes defended, an interception, and two forced fumbles.

After splitting the 2018 season with the Bills and Browns, Gaines signed with the Texans last September. After appearing in six games (two starts) for his new squad, Gaines landed on the injured reserve.

The Texans were presumably eyeing some cornerback reinforcement after the squad and Johnathan Joseph mutually agreed to part ways. On the flip side, the organization has reportedly made re-signing Bradley Roby a priority.

Bills Re-Sign TE Jason Croom

March 14th, 2020 at 9:53am CST by Ben Levine

Jason Croom is re-signing with the Bills. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the tight end is inking a new one-year deal with Buffalo. Croom was an exclusive rights free agent.

Croom joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2017. After bouncing between the practice squad and active roster during his rookie campaign, Croom finally had a chance to contribute in 2018. He ultimately led all Bills tight ends with 22 receptions, 259 yards, and one touchdown (he also had a pair of fumbles).

Croom dealt with a hamstring injury for much of last year’s offseason workouts, and the injury ultimately forced him to be placed on the injured reserve. As a result, the 26-year-old didn’t end up getting into a single game last season.

Croom will be re-joining a relatively deep tight ends corps in Buffalo. The current depth chart is led by the likes of Dawson Knox, Tyler Kroft, and Lee Smith.

Ravens Re-Sign De’Anthony Thomas

March 14th, 2020 at 8:25am CST by Ben Levine

De’Anthony Thomas is sticking in Baltimore for at least one more season. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the receiver/returner has re-signed with the Ravens. It’s a one-year deal for the 27-year-old.

The 2014 fourth-round pick spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with the Chiefs, and he earned a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association’s All-Rookie Team following his first year in the league. That rookie campaign proved to be Thomas’s best season in the NFL both offensively and in the return game.

Thomas re-signed with the Chiefs last offseason, but he was placed on the reserve list after violating the league’s policy on substance abuse. He was activated in mid-September, but he was released by the organization about a month later.

The wideout ended up catching on with the Ravens, and he proceeded to appear in eight games for his new team. While he really didn’t do anything offensively, he had 23 combined kick and punt returns, including three kick returns of 20+ yards.

Patriots Sign Matthew Slater To Two-Year Extension

March 13th, 2020 at 9:16pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The extensions keep coming as the start of free agency gets closer. This time it’s the Patriots locking up one of their own as New England has signed special teams ace Matthew Slater to a two-year extension, sources told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Slater is technically a receiver, but he plays almost exclusively on special teams. This past year he played only 21 total offensive snaps while playing 73 percent of the special teams snaps across multiple units. Yates doesn’t have the exact terms of the new deal, but he writes that it is “similar to his last,” which averaged $2.6MM annually. Slater had been set to become an unrestricted free agent next week.

He’s always been the epitome of a team player, doing whatever is asked of him. He has even occasionally contributed on defense over the years, starting three games at safety in 2011. Slater has become prominent for being a leader in the locker room, and is a team captain.

A favorite of Bill Belichick, Slater has made the Pro Bowl eight times as a special teamer. He’s won three Super Bowls since joining the Patriots as a fifth-round pick out of UCLA back in 2008. The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jackie Slater, he has often said he doesn’t see himself playing anywhere besides New England. He turned 34 in September.

Giants Sign David Mayo To Three-Year Extension

March 13th, 2020 at 8:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Giants are locking up one of their own shortly before the start of free agency. New York has signed linebacker David Mayo to a three-year extension, according to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Dan Duggan of The Athletic was the first to report the news (Twitter link).

Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but we’ll pass those along to you as soon as we get word. 2019 was Mayo’s first year with New York, and he enjoyed a breakout season. He appeared in all 16 games and started 13, receiving very strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work. Now, he’s being rewarded with what is presumably a nice payday. He finished last season with 82 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defended, serving mostly as a run-stuffer.

All told, he played a hair under 57 percent of the defensive snaps. A Texas State product, Mayo entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Panthers back in 2015. He barely played on defense his first couple of years in the league, before earning a small role his last two seasons in Carolina.

He was mostly a special teams player with the Panthers, and signed a two-year deal with the 49ers last offseason. San Francisco released him at final cuts, and the Giants didn’t even sign him until September 2nd. It was a pretty late pickup that ended up paying major dividends, and turning into a nice diamond in the rough find.

Colts Interested In Eric Berry, Other Teams In The Mix

March 13th, 2020 at 8:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Eric Berry sat out the 2019 season, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll have too much difficulty getting back into the NFL. We heard back in January that Berry was looking to get back on the field in 2020, and the three-time first-team All-Pro is already starting to garner interest.

The Colts are interested in adding Berry to their roster, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. They aren’t the only ones who will pursue the veteran safety, as sources told Holder that Indy will have competition and that they’ll have to beat out other suitors. Berry was drafted fifth overall by the Chiefs back in 2010 and became an instant star, making the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Unfortunately, he’s had to deal with a lot of adversity in his career.

Berry was diagnosed with cancer toward the end of the 2014 season and incredibly battled his way back onto the field to play in 2015, winning the league’s Comeback Player of the Year Award and earning his second All-Pro selection. He was once again an All-Pro in 2016, but a brutal injury derailed his career soon after.

Berry tore his Achilles in the first game of the 2017 season, and due to complications from that injury including a Haglund’s deformity, he wasn’t able to return until Week 15 of 2018. He appeared in the Chiefs’ playoff game that year but was released the following offseason and spent all of last year out of football.

One thing working in Indianapolis’ favor, as Holder notes, is that Berry is “very close friends” with current Colts defensive end and former Chiefs teammate Justin Houston. Colts GM Chris Ballard was also an executive in Kansas City from 2013-16. A few teams were apparently interested in the Tennessee product last year, but Berry intentionally took the season off to make sure he was fully healthy. Hopefully we get to see him make an impact in 2020, with the Colts or any team.

Aldon Smith To Apply For Reinstatement

March 13th, 2020 at 6:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here’s a name we haven’t heard in quite a long time. Suspended linebacker Aldon Smith is in the “process of applying for reinstatement” with the league, according to Jim Trotter of NFL Network (Twitter video link).

That would certainly be quite the comeback story if Smith does manage to make it back to the NFL. He hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the 2015 season, and the last we heard of him was in November of 2018 when he was turning himself into authorities after a domestic violence accusation. Smith has been arrested more than a handful of times over the years, including several times since his indefinite suspension from the league.

He’s also dealt with substance abuse issues, although people around the former Missouri star tell Trotter that he is clean and sober now. Smith was drafted seventh overall by the 49ers back in 2011 and became an instant star, racking up 14 sacks as a rookie. In his second season he had 19.5 sacks and was a first-team All-Pro, quickly cementing himself as one of the best defensive players in the league.

Things quickly unraveled after that as he missed a chunk of the 2013 season while in rehab. He was then hit with a nine-game suspension during the 2014 campaign. Following another arrest for DUI he was released by San Francisco, and latched on with Oakland. He played in nine games for the Raiders in 2015 before being given the suspension he is still currently serving. He tried to get back in the league in 2016 but his application was denied.

The Raiders officially released him in March of 2018 after another arrest. Smith will certainly have a lot of work to do if he wants Roger Goodell to let him back in the league, but he’s clearly not giving up hope. He’s still only 30, so he should theoretically have some gas left in the tank physically. At this point it still seems like a long-shot but no matter what happens, here’s to hoping Smith has everything figured out off the field.

Bears Place Second-Round Tender On DL Roy Robertson-Harris

March 13th, 2020 at 5:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bears are looking to keep Roy Robertson-Harris in the fold. The team tendered a contract to the impending restricted free agent, they announced in a release, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it’s a second-round tender to help ensure no team poaches him away.

Robertson-Harris will still be free to sign an offer sheet with another team when free agency opens, but the Bears will have the opportunity to match. Should they decline to match, that team would have to give the Bears their second-round pick. Since Robertson-Harris certainly isn’t a star player, it virtually guarantees that no other team will present him with an offer and risk giving up the pick.

Since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, there would’ve been no compensation for the Bears had they tendered him at the original-round level and he walked in free agency. It represents a nice pay bump for the UTEP product, as the second-round tender projects to clock in at a little above $3.2MM for 2020.

He spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/NFI list but made the team in 2017, and his role has slowly grown in each of the past three seasons. He played his biggest part yet this past season when he appeared in 15 games and started seven, racking up 30 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended from the interior. All told, he played a hair over 50 percent of the defensive snaps.

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