Nick Easton To Visit Bengals, Texans
Nick Easton‘s market is starting to heat up it seems. The veteran offensive lineman was cut by the Saints about six weeks ago, and not too long after we heard that he’d already been in touch with four teams.
Things went quiet after that though, until now. Easton has “possible visits” with the Bengals and Texans in the coming days, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Fowler notes that New Orleans has also expressed interest in bringing him back “if they can make it work cap-wise.” That tracks with what we heard back in February, as the Saints cut him in as part of their complicated maneuvering to get under the cap.
Easton entered the league as an UDFA in 2015, and became a part-time starter with the Vikings in 2016. He became a full-time starter in 2017, showed well, and after missing the entire 2018 season due to injury signed a four-year, $24MM pact with the Saints in 2019.
He made it just two years into that deal, and started nine games for New Orleans last year. He’s still only 28, and with his NFL experience at both center and guard would make for a solid late signing for teams in need of interior line help. The Bengals are looking to completely remake Joe Burrow‘s protection for 2021, and recently added fellow former Viking Riley Reiff to start at right tackle.
Sammy Watkins To Visit Ravens
The Ravens could be close to making a big addition to their receiving room. Sammy Watkins is on his way to Baltimore to visit with the team, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
We initially heard right before the Super Bowl that there was mutual interest between Watkins and the Chiefs on a new deal, but then a few weeks ago Kansas City GM Brett Veach made it sound like it’d be hard to work financially, and obviously nothing has materialized. Before this, we haven’t heard of much interest in Watkins since free agency opened as the receiver market was slow to develop initially.
Things appear to be picking up though, with Kenny Golladay and Will Fuller both signing in recent days, and Watkins could be the next domino to fall. As Rapoport points out, the Ravens have been looking to add a wideout in free agency as their group of pass-catchers for Lamar Jackson last year was a bit underwhelming.
Meanwhile, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets that there are a couple of connections on Baltimore’s staff. Ravens pass game specialist Keith Williams has been Watkins’ personal receivers coach, and Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman coached Watkins in Buffalo.
Baltimore reportedly offered JuJu Smith-Schuster more money, but he chose to re-sign with the Steelers instead. The fourth overall pick of the 2014 draft, Watkins has never quite lived up to his potential but he’s capable of being a very solid player when healthy. In a down year in 2020, he had 37 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns across ten games. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear anything more.
Texas To Sign Chris Conley
The Texans are continuing to add players on smaller deals. Houston has now agreed to terms on a one-year deal with receiver Chris Conley, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
The Texans have been signing a flurry of under the radar receivers to one year deals, including Donte Moncrief and Alex Erickson just a few days ago. It appears like new GM Nick Caserio is just going to take a bunch of low-risk dart throws and see who ends up hitting, which isn’t a bad strategy for a rebuilding team. Caserio has been completely remaking the roster this offseason, and the receiver room has been no exception.
Will Fuller just left for the Dolphins last week, and they’re looking for replacements. Conley is a very solid athlete with good speed who entered the league as a third-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2015. He showed plenty of flashes in Kansas City, but was often buried in the depth chart.
After his rookie deal expired he signed with the Jaguars, and spent the past two years in Jacksonville. In 15 games and four starts last year, he had 40 catches for 471 yards and two touchdowns. He was much more productive in 2019, when he had 47 catches for 775 yards (16.5 Y/R), and five touchdowns. He turned 28 in October. It’s a decent flyer for the Texans, and Conley will have a clear path to playing time.
John Johnson Turned Down More Money To Sign With Browns
The Browns added a big piece to their defense when they signed safety John Johnson last week, and they apparently faced steep competition for his services.
Johnson turned down “significantly more money” from another team to sign with the Browns, his agents told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. He was clearly very excited about the prospect of playing for this upstart Browns team that is coming off their best season in decades. It’s a sign of how much the times have changed that players are now taking less money in order to sign with the Browns as a destination in free agency.
Imagine if someone had told you that a few years ago. Johnson signed a three-year, $33.75MM pact with the Browns that included $24MM guaranteed, and was arguably the top safety on the market after guys like Justin Simmons, Marcus Maye, and Marcus Williams all got franchise tagged by their respective teams.
Johnson’s AAV of $11.25MM has him as the eighth-highest paid safety in the NFL currently. Shortly before he signed with Cleveland we heard the Lions, Eagles, and Jaguars were pursuing him, so it’s possible it was one of those teams that offered him the bigger contract.
The Rams opted not to tag him for financial reasons, but Johnson has been a really good player since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2017. He played every snap for a Los Angeles defense that was best in the league last season, and won’t turn 26 until December. Johnson will start next to either 2020 second-round pick Grant Delpit or Ronnie Harrison in 2021.
Contract Details: Trubisky, Andrews, Carson, Jones, Reiff, Joyner
Let’s catch up on the latest contract details from around the league:
- QB Mitchell Trubisky, Bills: One-year, $2MM base salary with $1.5MM guaranteed, $500K signing bonus, and $2MM available in incentives. Via Field Yates of ESPN on Twitter.
- C David Andrews, Patriots: Four-years, $19 MM, with $6.5MM fully guaranteed. More money available in play-time incentives. Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Twitter.
- RB Chris Carson, Seahawks: Two-years, $10.425MM, $4.5MM signing bonus and $1MM guaranteed salary for 2021. $4.5MM non-guaranteed 2022 salary and $450K in per-game roster bonuses in ‘22. Up to $1.4MM in incentives in both years. Via Dan Graziano of ESPN on Twitter.
- RB Aaron Jones, Packers: Four-years, $48MM. The $13MM signing bonus is the only fully guaranteed money in the contract. A $3.5MM roster bonus is due on the first day of next league year. For 2023, a $7MM roster bonus is due on the third day of the league year. You can read the full breakdown of each year of the contract via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
- OL Riley Reiff, Bengals: One-year, $7.5MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. We hadn’t known the terms of this contract yet, and $7.5MM is a pretty decent price for the Bengals for a solid starting tackle. Via Yates on Twitter.
- S Lamarcus Joyner, Jets: One-year, up to $4.5MM. $2.5MM is guaranteed, with a $1MM signing bonus and $1.5MM base salary. Up to $500K in per game active roster bonuses and $1.5MM in playing time and interception incentives. Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
Bears To Sign Jeremiah Attaochu
The Bears are adding some pass-rushing help. Chicago has agreed to terms with free agent outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, the team announced on Twitter.
A second-round pick of the Chargers back in 2014, Attaochu never quite lived up to his draft status and struggled with injuries during his time with the team. He did flash potential though, with a six-sack season in 2015. He struggled to find his footing for a bit after his four seasons with the Chargers, then found a new home with the Broncos in 2019. He had 3.5 sacks in 12 games that year, and was re-signed for a modest $1.5MM last offseason.
Financial terms weren’t immediately announced for this deal, although I’d be inclined to think he got a bit of a raise on last year’s salary after a solid campaign in Denver. In 13 games with the Broncos last year, he had five sacks and a forced fumble. Considering he only played about 38 percent of the defensive snaps, the five sacks are pretty solid.
Isaiah Wilson Clears Waivers
Isaiah Wilson is officially a free agent. The embattled former first-round pick has cleared waivers after he was cut by the Dolphins and is now free to sign with any team, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
It’s not exactly shocking, as it was doubtful any team out there would want to assume Wilson’s contract. The 29th overall pick of last year’s draft, Wilson was traded from the Titans to Miami just this past week. It didn’t take him long to fall out of favor with the Dolphins, as he allegedly “refused team efforts to help him to get his life on track” before getting the axe.
Wilson reportedly showed up late for his physical, was late for his orientation with the organization, and skipped a pair of workouts that he had committed to. The offensive lineman from Georgia appeared in just one game as a rookie, playing only three offensive snaps, and was also suspended at one point for a violation of team rules.
Things didn’t work out right from the start, and it was one of the quickest implosions for a first-round pick in recent memory. He only turned 22 last month and due to his draft pedigree will likely get another shot from somebody, assuming he wants it, but he’s running out of chances.
Bills Re-Sign Taiwan Jones
The Bills are locking up a key special teamer. Buffalo has re-signed running back Taiwan Jones to a one-year deal, the team announced on Twitter.
It’s fair to assume that the contract is for pretty close to the league minimum. Jones played only four total snaps on offense last year, but played around 40 percent of the total special teams snaps. Jones will turn 33 in July, and the veteran has done a nice job of sticking around in the league for what will be his 11th pro season in the fall.
He entered the league as a fourth-round pick all the way back in 2011, and managed to carve out a career despite never carrying the ball more than 16 times in a season. He also was the Raiders’ kick returner for a couple of years, and had 829 return yards in 2015, which was the most in the AFC.
After his first six seasons with the Raiders he was with the Bills from 2017-18, then spent a year with the Texans, before returning to Buffalo last season.
Texans To Sign Desmond King
The Texans continue to make low-risk, high-upside signings for their defense. This time Houston has agreed to terms on a deal with cornerback Desmond King, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Per Schefter, it’s a one-year pact worth $3.5MM. A fifth-round pick of the Chargers in 2017, King quickly made a name for himself in Los Angeles. He started four games in a rookie and played in all 16, racking up 76 tackles, four sacks, five passes defended, and a 90-yard interception return touchdown.
In 2018 he entered the season as the Chargers’ slot cornerback, and had 62 tackles, ten passes defended, and three interceptions. He earned a first-team All-Pro nod for his work. He also took over punt return duties for the Chargers in 2018, and was a second-team All-Pro as a returner.
Despite being a dual All-Pro it wasn’t long before he fell out of favor with the coaching staff, and butted heads with Anthony Lynn. After seeing his playing time reduced in the secondary he griped on social media, and was traded to the Titans last November.
King is still only 26, and has obviously had a lot of success in the past. On a pretty cheap deal, the signing makes a lot of sense for a rebuilding Texans defense.
Panthers To Sign David Moore
The Panthers just lost a receiver when Curtis Samuel signed with Washington, and now they’re adding one. Carolina has agreed to terms with David Moore, Bill Voth of the team’s official site tweets.
It’s a two-year deal for the D2 product out of East Central University, long-time Panthers beat writer Joseph Person tweets. The pact is worth $4.75MM over two years with $1.25MM guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Moore was a seventh-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017, and he turned into a nice unheralded find. He appeared in only one game with no stats as a rookie, but quickly broke out as a sophomore.
In 2018 he played in all 16 games, racking up 26 catches for 445 yards and five touchdowns, averaging an impressive 17.1 yards per reception as a deep threat. This past season in 16 games and six starts, he had 35 catches for 417 yards and six touchdowns.
Moore turned 26 in January, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do when not buried behind Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Carolina is reportedly aggressively looking for an upgrade at quarterback over Teddy Bridgewater, so it’s unclear who he’ll be catching passes from in 2021.
The Panthers currently have Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore at receiver, but little outside of them, so Moore should have a good chance at winning the third receiver job depending on what they do in the draft.