2022 March - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders To Sign RB Brandon Bolden

March 16th, 2022 at 4:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Brandon Bolden is teaming up with his former offensive coordinator in Las Vegas. The Raiders are signing the running back and special teamer, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler are plenty familiar with Bolden, who spent nine of his 10 professional seasons in New England. Bolden was a special teams mainstay throughout his stint with the Patriots, collecting 51 tackles and three forced fumbles. This includes a 2021 campaign where he collected a career-high 11 tackles while appearing in 63 percent of New England’s ST snaps.

The veteran also had his best season on offense this past year. After having collected only 376 yards from scrimmage between 2016 and 2019 in stints with the Patriots and Dolphins (Bolden opted out of the 2020 campaign), the running back finished 2021 with 631 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.

Bolden will likely continue having a special teams role in Las Vegas, but he could easily slide into the depth chart behind Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.

Cardinals Release Jordan Phillips

March 16th, 2022 at 4:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

Veteran defensive linemen Jordan Phillips is on the lookout for a new NFL home. The Cardinals have released the 29-year-old, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).

Phillips signed a three-year deal with Arizona in 2020, but he was limited to only 18 games during his two years with the team. His 2020 campaign came to an early end thanks to a hamstring injury, and he also started the 2021 season on the injured reserve.

In total, Phillips finished his Cardinals career having compiled five sacks. That includes a 2021 campaign where he finished with 22 tackles, three sacks, and four QB hits.

The former second-round pick spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Dolphins, and he eventually caught on with Buffalo midway through the 2018 campaign. He had a breakout season during his lone full year in Buffalo, finishing with 9.5 sacks.

Jarvis Landry To Visit Falcons

March 16th, 2022 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Tom Brady‘s successful recruiting job led Russell Gage to Tampa, Atlanta is short on wide receivers. The Falcons will meet with a Pro Bowl target soon, with Dianna Russini reporting Jarvis Landry will visit (Twitter link).

News of Landry’s visit comes on the same day of the Falcons’ Deshaun Watson meeting. Watson is believed to have requested the meeting, pointing to the Falcons at least being in this race. Given Matt Ryan‘s status, they are a surprise contender. Regardless of who plays quarterback, the team has extensive work to do at receiver.

Over the past year, the Falcons have seen their Gage-Julio Jones–Calvin Ridley trio dismantled. (Though, Jones is available, albeit after a rough Titans season.) Multipurpose playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson is also unsigned. The Falcons tendered RFA Olamide Zaccheaus but otherwise do not roster much at this position.

The Browns, who join the Falcons in attempting to acquire the Texans’ highly paid passer, released Landry after being unable to find a trade partner. Landry spent four years in Cleveland. While his best statistical work came in Miami, the former second-round pick added to his Pro Bowl count with the Browns. He played a major role in Cleveland snapping its near-two-decade playoff drought in 2020.

Landry, 29, is now a five-time Pro Bowler. However, last season’s 52-catch, 570-yard represented a new low point for the LSU product. He will aim to bounce back in 2022.

Cardinals Sign CB Jeff Gladney

March 16th, 2022 at 4:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Jeff Gladney is landing in Arizona after all. After meeting with the Cardinals yesterday, the cornerback is signing with the team, reports Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Gladney is getting a two-year deal.

Glandey was recently acquitted by a jury on assault charges. The cornerback was released by the Vikings last August following an indictment for domestic violence. Gladney was accused of choking, punching, and shoving a woman during an incident in April, 2021.”

“This has been a challenging time for Jeff mentally, spiritually and athletically,” his agents, Brian E. Overstreet and Rodney Williams, said at the time. “So, we applaud Jeff for having the courage to stand and fight for his freedom versus these false allegations”

The TCU product was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Vikings. He got into 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie, finishing with 81 tackles and three passes defended

Mayfield, Browns Preparing To Part Ways?

March 16th, 2022 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns met with Deshaun Watson on Tuesday, and Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets the team did not inform Mayfield beforehand of its interest in the Texans quarterback. Mayfield then posted a tweet thanking Cleveland, creating an ominous tone for this relationship’s future.

Even if Watson does not end up in Cleveland, the Browns may be preparing to move on from Mayfield. The fifth-year quarterback and the Browns are “breaking up,” Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com said during a TV appearance Wednesday (h/t gifdsports; video link). Mayfield is expected to consider his options, with or without Watson in Cleveland, according to Russini (on Twitter). Mortensen also added the Browns want “an adult” at quarterback. That will surely go over well in what appears to be a divorce in progress.

The former No. 1 pick would be interested in the Colts or Seahawks, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes, adding the Browns are now open to trading their four-year starter. It is unclear if either team would reciprocate that interest, but Mayfield appears to be planning for a Cleveland exit. The Seahawks should be considered an option, per Mortensen, who mentions Jimmy Garoppolo as a possible solution for the Browns.

If Watson heads to one of the NFC destinations in play, the Browns would be making a move similar to the Colts’ Carson Wentz trade. Indianapolis currently lacks a viable QB option, ahead of a draft with limited options at the position. The Browns, at least, have their first-round pick in this draft. One year and $18.9MM remains on Mayfield’s rookie contract.

This would be an explosive conclusion to a rocky relationship. Mayfield nearly won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 but struggled mightily under Freddie Kitchens in 2019. After his 2020 bounce-back showing that led the Browns to the playoffs, the outspoken quarterback ran into multifront injury trouble — headlined by a significant shoulder malady, which required surgery in January — and saw his 2021 production crater as a result. Mayfield also became a flashpoint figure in the Odell Beckham Jr. drama. Still, the early offseason pointed to the Browns bringing back their quarterback for a redemption shot on his fifth-year option. Plans are changing fast.

Ravens To Bring Back LB Za’Darius Smith

March 16th, 2022 at 3:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mentioned as a possible Za’Darius Smith landing spot, the Ravens are indeed reacquiring their former pass rusher. The recently released Packer is committing to Baltimore.

The Ravens are adding Smith on a four-year, $35MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This deal is not as lucrative as the one Smith signed in Green Bay three years ago, but Schefter adds it can max out at $50MM. The 29-year-old spent the first four years of his carer with the Ravens, where he followed a familiar pattern of edge rushers gradually growing in their role on the team.

In his final season in Charm City, the former fourth round pick posted a career-high 8.5 sacks. That earned him a sizeable second contract with the Packers, where he paired with Preston Smith to form one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems. He totalled 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020, earning him Pro Bowl nods in each of those campaigns.

However, he was limited to a single game in 2021 due to a back injury. That, coupled with the emergence of former first rounder Rashan Gary, as well as his aforementioned hefty contract, made Smith a viable release candidate. It wasn’t surprising, then, that the Packers quickly made it clear he would only be brought back at a more affordable price.

While Green Bay was willing to keep Smith at the cash value he was owed (as opposed to his much higher cap number), it seemed the parting of ways by the two sides was mutual. The team will now move forward with Gary and the recently re-signed Preston Smith at the forefront of their edge rush department. As for the Ravens, a significant hole in the front seven has been filled. Before this news, the team’s only two notable pass rushers under contract were Tyus Bowser (who tore his Achilles in the season finale) and first round rookie Odafe Oweh (who tailed off after an impressive start to the campaign).

Smith joins safety Marcus Williams as the Ravens’ second noteworthy signing on the defensive side of the ball. Not generally known for making splashes at the top of the free agent market, they have now added two major pieces to a roster which many saw as Super Bowl-caliber at the beginning of last season.

Packers, Rasul Douglas Eyeing Extension

March 16th, 2022 at 3:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers have taken care of most of their offseason business already, making enough salary cap room to keep the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and Preston Smith. One of the last key pieces to their 2021 roster left unsigned is cornerback Rasul Douglas.

According to ESPN Dianna Russini, both sides are hopeful a new deal can get done to keep him in Green Bay (Twitter link). She reports that “ongoing conversations continue on a potential extension”, though she adds that Douglas has received “multiple offers” from other teams in recent days.

The 27-year-old joined the Packers – his third NFL team – midseason. Brought in as a replacement for the injured Jaire Alexander, he exceeded any reasonable expectations the team had for him. In 12 games, he totalled 57 tackles and a team-leading five interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns). He also had the best season of his career in coverage, allowing a 44.5 opposing passer rating.

That led general manager Brian Gutekunst to publicly announce his desire to keep him, along with fellow unheralded defender De’Vondre Campbell. Douglas had earlier expressed his openness to returning. A new deal certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise, then, although the Packers have a tight budget and potential outside suitors to compete with.

Titans To Release Julio Jones

March 16th, 2022 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans will make Julio Jones a one-and-done in Tennessee. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver will be released, Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report (on Twitter).

Tennessee traded a second-round pick for Jones last year, but the longtime Atlanta star could not shake the hamstring trouble that plagued him during his final Falcons season. If the Titans do not designate Jones as a post-June 1 cut, they will take on more than $13MM in dead money. The Titans are, in fact, using the June 1 designation Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will save the team more than $9MM this year.

While this will make Jones a first-time free agent, he is not hitting the market with momentum. The All-Decade wideout ripped off a record-setting stretch from 2014-19, surpassing 1,390 yards in each season and making six straight Pro Bowls. But injury absences began to pile up in 2020. That proved to be a bad sign for the Titans, who could only get 10 games out of the high-level trade acquisition.

Jones caught just 31 passes for 434 yards — both career-low marks; even Jones’ five-game 2013 season produced better numbers — and saw his hamstring injury keep leading to missed time. Tennessee’s Jones-A.J. Brown tandem did not come to fruition, with Brown also struggling on the health front. But Brown will be due a big payday soon. Jones’ Falcons-constructed contract will no longer be part of the Titans’ equation at that point.

Having turned 33 this offseason, Jones may attract some interest. Draft classmate A.J. Green managed to land a reasonable Cardinals deal despite an injury-marred ending to his Bengals run. Any Jones contract figures to be a fairly low-cost deal, however. He signed a $22MM-per-year extension with the Falcons in 2019; two years remained on that pact prior to Wednesday’s move.

Browns To Re-Sign OL Chris Hubbard

March 16th, 2022 at 3:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have made another move pertaining to their offensive line. Cleveland is re-signing tackle Chris Hubbard to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link).

Many thought the veteran could be on his way out of Cleveland, given that he had been eclipsed on the depth chart and underwent surgery following a triceps injury. With his contract expiring, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if the 30-year-old had looked elsewhere for his next NFL home. Instead, he will remain in the AFC North, the only division he’s played in.

Hubbard started his career with the Steelers in 2014. He spent four seasons there, making 10 starts in 2017. That earned him a five-year deal with the Browns in the subsequent offseason. Brought in to be a starter with that kind of contract, the former UDFA manned the right tackle spot for all but one game in his first two campaigns in Ohio. In 2020, though, he was replaced by Jack Conklin.

Hubbard has since settled into the swing role he held when he began in Pittsburgh. In his only game in 2021, he filled in for left tackle Jedrick Wills but the team primarily used rookie James Hudson to do so afterwards. Still, he represents an experienced, versatile depth piece to the Brown’s offensive front.

Seahawks, OL Austin Blythe Agree To Deal

March 16th, 2022 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a year as a Chiefs backup, Austin Blythe is heading west again. The former Rams starter agreed to a deal to join the Seahawks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal worth $4MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This marks Blythe’s third consecutive one-year agreement.

Blythe signed in Kansas City before the team selected Creed Humphrey in the second round. Humphrey became the Chiefs’ starting center in Week 1 and made every start at the position for the Chiefs, presenting the makings of a long-term center for the perennial AFC West champions. Blythe figures to have a better opportunity for playing time in Seattle.

The Seahawks used Ethan Pocic as their primary center last year, but the five-year veteran is a free agent. In Blythe, the Seahawks are signing a player who was a full-time starter for the Rams from 2018-20. His market did not produce much last year, however, leading him to settle for a one-year Chiefs deal.

This represents a chance for Blythe to rebuild his value and for the Seahawks to deploy a proven starter as they reconfigure their offense post-Russell Wilson. Blythe, 29, caught on with the Rams in 2017 and started 47 regular-season games with the team in his final three seasons in Los Angeles. Despite moving from guard to center in 2020, Blythe finished as the NFL’s ninth-graded snapper that season, per Pro Football Focus. He spent the previous two years at guard, giving Seattle some options.