Falcons Place 2nd-Round Tender On Ricardo Allen
The Falcons have placed a second-round tender on restricted free-agent safety Ricardo Allen worth $2.91MM, according to Vaughan McLure of ESPN. McLure notes that the tender doesn’t eliminate the chance of the Falcons still locking up Allen with a multi-year deal.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in February that he believed the team could create the space to strike a multi-year deal with Allen. The 26-year-old made just $615K last year in base salary as an exclusive-rights free agent. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the No. 31 safety in the league, tied with Tre Boston, Tashaun Gipson and Eric Reid. Allen will have until April 20 to sign an offer sheet with another team. The Falcons also have until June 15 to withdraw the tender.
Allen started 15 games at strong safety last season alongside Keanu Neal. Allen has started at least 14 games the last three seasons after the Falcons took him in the fifth round in 2014. Leon McFadden and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are the only members of the Falcons secondary due to become unrestricted free agents in the offseason. They have Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford locked in as the team’s top cornerbacks after they each signed multi-year extensions last year. The team will also be looking to extend quarterback Matt Ryan, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The Falcons have some precedent in signing a player to a restricted free agent tender and eventually signing them to an extension. They signed right tackle Ryan Schraeder to a second-round tender last March, which was worth $2.55MM. The Falcons ended up signing Schraeder to a five-year, $31.5MM extension in November, with $12.5MM guaranteed.
Falcons Interested In ASJ
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins and the Jets may be a bit out of sync as far as terms go, but the team remains intent on retaining the tight end, per JLC. Now armed with the most cap space in the league, the Jets would be able to meet ASJ’s reported $7MM-AAV asking price. But it’s uncertain if they will. La Canfora connects the Falcons and Seahawks as being interested in Seferian-Jenkins.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: LS Don Muhlbach
Falcons’ Brooks Reed Restructures Deal
Falcons defensive end Brooks Reed has agreed to a restructuring of his contract that will keep him in Atlanta, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Originally, he was slated to carry a $5.4M cap hit, but he’ll now count for less. The exact cap number is not yet known. 
Reed, 31, signed on with the Falcons before the 2015 season on a five-year, $22.5MM deal with nearly $7MM guaranteed at signing. He’s had a bit of an up-and-down tenure in Atlanta, but last year was his best campaign in a Falcons uniform. Reed appeared in every game and started all but two of them as he tallied 39 tackles and four sacks. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus ranked Reed as the No. 31 edge defender in the NFL last season with a career best 82.4 mark.
Still, the Falcons are in the bottom ten of the league in cap space, so they were not necessarily in a position to keep Reed at his original number. Now, Reed’s spot on the team is likely secure.
The Falcons still have some work to do on the defensive line, as PFR’s Dallas Robinson recently detailed. That’s partially due to the impending free agency of defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who is unlikely to return.
Fallout From Michael Bennett Trade
The Seahawks and Eagles hammered out a major trade on Wednesday, as defensive lineman Michael Bennett will now head to Philadelphia in a deal that also included a swap of draft picks. Seattle, for their part, looks to be undergoing an overhaul on the defensive side of the ball: not only have the Seahawks made a change at coordinator, but Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor, and — most recently — Richard Sherman are among the veterans who could be moving on. Along its defensive line, Seattle is likely betting former draft bust Dion Jordan can play a larger role in 2018, while trading Bennett will also clear cap space that could be used to re-sign defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.
Here’s more fallout and reaction to today’s deal:
- Philadelphia wasn’t the only club interested in acquiring Bennett, as the Patriots, Browns, Buccaneers, and the previously-reported Falcons also had their eye on the veteran — and versatile — defensive lineman, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN.com. None of the reported teams should come as complete surprises: the Patriots, for one, have landed Bennett’s brother Martellus on two separate occasions, while the Browns boast the most salary cap space and draft capital in the league. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, also reportedly discussed acquiring edge rusher Robert Quinn before Los Angeles dealt him to Miami.
- The Eagles and Seahawks first struck agreement on Tuesday morning, but a third team jumped in and the deal stalled, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While it’s unclear what club approached Philadelphia at the last second, it would make sense if it were one of the teams listed above. By Tuesday night, it was apparent Bennett would be dealt to the Eagles, but Philadelphia’s front office was still researching the deal, per Rapoport. While this is purely speculation, it’s possible Seattle was able to wrangle a bit more compensation for Bennett given that unnamed third team’s interest.
- With Bennett now in Philadelphia, the Eagles seem incredibly likely to part ways with fellow defensive lineman Vinny Curry. More than half ($5MM of $9MM) of Curry’s 2018 base salary will become fully guaranteed on March 18, so the Eagles will likely need to make a decision on his fate before that date. While reports initially indicated Curry would be released, the Eagles are — or at least, were — working to retain Curry at a cheaper salary. Philadelphia was projected to be $10MM+ over the cap before acquiring Bennett, so it likely won’t be able to afford a luxury like Curry.
- Speaking of cap space, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com provided a good breakdown of where the Eagles now stand following the Bennett trade, and also examined several players whom Philadelphia could cut or trade in order to comply with the cap.
Falcons, Andy Levitre Restructure Deal
Andy Levitre is staying put in Atlanta. The Falcons have agreed to a restructured contract with the standout guard, a person familiar with the negotiations tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 
Levitre was set to enter the year with an $8.375MM cap number. He’s accepted a base salary reduction from $7MM to a fully guaranteed $3.5MM, while his salary cap charge will drop from $8.375MM to $5.875MM, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Levitre, 32 in May, has been one of the league’s better guards since entering the league in 2009. In 2017, he graded out as one of the 20 best players at his position in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He started every game since joining the Falcons in 2015 until he suffered a torn triceps late last year. He returned in Week 17, but he landed on IR after re-aggravating the injury.
Had he been released, Levitre would have profiled as one of the very best interior lineman on this year’s open market. For a look at those who are available, check out PFR’s rankings of the top offensive free agents by position.
Falcons, K Matt Bryant Agree To Extension
Another potential free agent kicker is off the board. The Falcons and kicker Matt Bryant have agreed to a three-year extension, according to a team announcement.
Bryant’s new deal is worth $10.5MM and contains a $2MM signing bonus, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The pact also comes with an incentive package that could take the total value of the contract to $12MM. On an annual basis, Bryant is now the eighth-highest paid kicker in the NFL after receiving what amounts to a $670K yearly raise.
Bryant will turn 43 years old before the 2018 season starts, but he still looked sharp last season. In 2017, he nailed 87.2% of his field goals, good for 12th in the NFL. He also sank eight-of-nine attempts from 50 yards or more, so his power hasn’t deteriorated much.
Earlier this offseason, the Colts re-upped their own aging kicker in Adam Vinatieri, even though he turned 45 in December. The Titans also locked down a would-be free agent kicker in Ryan Succop when they inked him to a five-year, $20MM extension in February.
Panthers kicker Graham Gano might be the next big leg to sign a multi-year deal. Carolina is working on an extension with the 30-year-old (31 in April) and they’ll probably franchise tag him on Tuesday if no accord can be reached.
Bryant won’t make it to the open market, but other notable kickers will, including Sebastian Janikowski, Chandler Catanzaro, Caleb Sturgis, and Kai Forbath.
Seahawks, Falcons Talking Bennett Trade
The Seahawks discussing sending Michael Bennett to work with his former defensive coordinator. The Falcons are talking to the Seahawks about a deal for the veteran defensive end, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Multiple teams are talking to the Seahawks about a deal for Bennett, but the Falcons are the only confirmed suitor. They would make sense considering Dan Quinn and Bennett’s relationship and the team utilizing a 4-3 scheme very similar to the Seahawks’.
Despite having three years left on his latest Seahawks deal, Bennett’s been on the trade block during the Combine. McClure identified the 10th-year defensive end as being a Falcons fit because of the aforementioned reasons but also due to Atlanta’s present need for interior pass rush. Bennett started all 16 Seahawks games last season and was a key cog on both of Seattle’s Super Bowl teams.
Bennett registered 8.5 sacks in 2017 and booked his third straight Pro Bowl trip. Long a well-regarded player by the advanced-metrics community, Bennett didn’t receive quite as high of a grade from Pro Football Focus last season (No. 36 edge defender) but was still productive. He often provides an inside pass rush on passing downs, and could have some starter seasons left if shipped to Atlanta. No Falcon under contract registered more than six sacks last season.
Three seasons and more than $26MM remain on the 32-year-old defensive end’s contract. John Schneider said the Seahawks are taking numerous calls this offseason about deals for their veteran components, with Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman candidates to be moved as well. Bennett will count $7.36MM toward a team’s cap this season, and considering multiple teams are talking with the Seahawks, prying him away from Seattle may well take a trade.
Falcons Interested In TE Ed Dickson?
The Falcons are being “associated” with Panthers free agent tight end Ed Dickson, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Falcons Interested In Cowboys FB Keith Smith]
Atlanta is likely on the lookout for a veteran tight end after releasing Levine Toilolo last week. Toilolo played roughly 40% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps in 2017, but spent the majority of that time as a blocker. Dickson isn’t quite the run-blocker that Toilolo is, per Pro Football Focus, but he grade as the single-best pass-blocking tight end in the league a season ago.
Dickson, 30, didn’t play a large receiving role during his first three years with the Panthers, but an injury to starting tight end Greg Olsen allowed Dickson to play on 80% of Carolina’s offensive plays last season. While he wasn’t a world-beater, Dickson did manage 437 yards and a touchdown, solid numbers considering he’d managed just 370 receiving yards from 2014-16.
While it’s unclear if the Panthers have interest in re-signing Dickson, head coach Ron Rivera recently implied Dickson would hit the open market, per McClure.
Cowboys Won’t Tender RFA FB Keith Smith; Falcons Have Interest
The Cowboys will not tender an offer to restricted free agent fullback Keith Smith, but they are open to re-signing him on a multi-year extension, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. However, the Falcons also have interest in signing Smith to a free agent deal, reports D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
An original round RFA tender — which wouldn’t have netted Dallas any draft pick compensation had Smith inked an offer sheet with another club — is expected to be worth $1.908MM. Smith only played on 12% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps in 2017, so that figure was untenable. But a multi-year deal could offer Smith financial guarantees (which the RFA tender does not) and keep his 2018 cap charge to a minimum, aiding Dallas’ books.
As Archer details, the Cowboys have used a similar strategy with restricted free agents in the recent past. In 2016, Dallas tendered safety Jeff Heath at the original round level, but subsequently replaced that one-year salary with a four-year, $7.671MM extension. The year prior, punter Chris Jones had already signed his RFA tender when Dallas worked out a three-year, $4.2MM deal.
Smith, for his part, appeared in all 16 games for the second consecutive season, but wasn’t a large part of the Cowboys offense, as he totaled only five total touches (all receptions). However, the 25-year-old Smith was a key factor on Dallas’ special teams unit: he finished sixth in Cowboys special teams snaps, and ranked second on the club with 10 ST tackles.
The Falcons, meanwhile, have ranked among the top-five NFL teams in fullback usage in each of the past two seasons. Patrick DiMarco played 31% of Atlanta’s offensive snaps in 2016 before signing with the Bills the following offseason, while Derrick Coleman saw time on roughly 22% of the team’s plays last year.