Bengals Tried Hard For LBs Joe Schobert, Nick Kwiatkoski
Free agent linebacker Joe Schobert just agreed to a massive contract with Jacksonville, and he apparently had options. The Bengals were “trying aggressively” to land Schobert, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
Schobert got five years and $54MM from the Jaguars, and Fowler reports that they were unwilling to match that. Cincinnati is usually never a big player in free agency, and they’ve now struck out on a couple of their bigger attempts. The Bengals were also in until the end on Nick Kwiatkoski, who ended up with the Raiders, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Clearly, they’re looking for linebacker help.
Given what Cincy’s defense looked like last year, it isn’t surprising that they’re being a little more active than usual in free agency. The Bengals were the worst team in the league in the first season of the Zac Taylor era, and figure to start completely fresh in 2020, likely with a new rookie quarterback.
Playing in the same division as the Browns and facing him twice a year, the Bengals had plenty of opportunities to scout Schobert. Inside linebackers have been flying off the board, and the pickings are now officially somewhat slim. One of the top remaining options is one of their own, Nick Vigil.
The fact that the Bengals were interested in these guys is a sign they weren’t too keen on bringing Vigil back, but they could pivot and re-sign him now that they’ve whiffed on Schobert and Kwiatkowski.
Steelers Place Ryan Shazier On Reserve/Retired List
The Steelers are shifting linebacker Ryan Shazier from the reserve/PUP list to the reserve/retired list Tuesday, the team announced in a release.
Shazier himself didn’t officially announce he’s giving up on a return to the field, but this would seem to indicate that his playing days are all but over. He spent the past two seasons on the PUP list. By keeping him on the roster the past couple of years he was able to earn a salary, which will likely end now. However, the Steelers announced in their release that this doesn’t mean Shazier won’t be sticking around.
“Ryan’s placement on the Reserve/Retired List serves as a matter of protocol to ensure his continued inclusion within our organization moving forward in his professional career,” said Steelers GM Kevin Colbert in a brief statement. Shazier has been a “fixture in the locker room” and helped mentor and develop rookie first-round linebacker Devin Bush last year, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com noted in a tweet.
Shazier, of course, was a Pro Bowl linebacker before a devastating spinal injury cut his career short during the 2017 season. Initially feared that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, Shazier battled his way back to being able to run and train, and has been an incredible source of inspiration along the way.
The Ohio State product has never given up on the idea of playing again, and it’s likely he never will. He’ll still be around the team in 2020, and it sounds like coaching could be in his future.
Raiders Close With Marcus Mariota
Well this is certainly going to raise a lot of eyebrows around the league. The Raiders are “pushing to close out a deal” with free agent quarterback Marcus Mariota, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
While Mariota is a high profile addition, this doesn’t mean the end is near for Derek Carr, as Sirius XM NFL Radio insider Adam Caplan tweets that Mariota has been their top choice to backup Carr. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that Vegas has had eyes on Mariota for a long time, and that’s what we heard a couple weeks ago. The thinking at the time was that the Raiders had shifted from pursuing a top-tier starter like Tom Brady to pursuing a solid backup who can push Carr.
This all but certainly removes the Raiders from the Brady sweepstakes. While head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock will likely insist for the time being that Carr remains the starter, they likely wouldn’t be making this move if they were completely sold on him as the long-term answer under center.
Mayock has hedged all offseason when asked about Carr, and it’s been tough to get a read on how Gruden truly feels about him. We heard last month there was a “growing sense” that teams would inquire about trading for Carr. Interestingly enough, Mariota might find himself in a situation very similar to the one he was in last year, just on the opposite end.
The Titans traded for Ryan Tannehill last offseason, insisting that he was going to be Mariota’s backup. Of course after Mariota struggled to start the year he was quickly benched in favor of Tannehill, who ended up leading Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game and earning a massive extension. Now, Mariota might get the chance to do the same thing to Carr. As Garafolo points out Mayock had Mariota as his top-rated quarterback in the 2015 draft class, ahead of Jameis Winston who went first overall.
Jets Targeting Interior Linemen Stefen Wisniewski, Greg Van Roten
The Jets have swung and missed on a handful of top free agents already, forcing them to shift their attention to some of their backup plans. They were reportedly in on guard Graham Glasgow, before he signed a big deal with the Broncos.
New York still needs help on the offensive line, and they’re now targeting a couple of lower-profile options along the interior. The Jets have “turned their attention” to guard/center Stefen Wisniewski and guard Greg Van Roten, sources told Connor Hughes of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Jets were also interested in guard Joe Thuney, before the Patriots shockingly franchise-tagged him this morning.
Both Wisniewski and Van Roten are longtime veterans with a lot of starting experience. Neither are elite players by any means, but they’re both respectable options. Wisniewski was a full-time starter with the Raiders and Jaguars his first five years in the league, then became a top reserve with the Eagles and started at least six games in each of his three years in Philly. He spent last year with the Chiefs and only started twice, his first season with less than six starts.
Van Roten entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012, but didn’t start a game until 2018 when he unexpectedly became Carolina’s starter at left guard and started all 16 games. He started all 11 that he appeared in this past year. As Hughes points out, he’s done quite well in pass protection.
Dolphins Agree To Terms With Kyle Van Noy
The Dolphins are staying busy. Miami is signing Kyle Van Noy away from the Patriots shortly after we heard the Jets were talking to the outside linebacker, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
In other words, almost the entire AFC East was involved in some way. It’s a big payday for Van Noy, as the Dolphins are giving him a four-year, $51MM contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. $30MM of that is guaranteed. Miami just gave a record-breaking contract to cornerback Byron Jones, so they’re certainly spending big to revamp their defense. The move to sign Van Noy makes plenty of sense, as he played for Dolphins head coach Brian Flores when Flores was New England’s defensive coordinator.
To that end, we’ve heard Van Noy isn’t the only former Patriot that the Dolphins will be targeting. Van Noy is the latest free agent for the Jets to miss out on, as they also failed to sign Jones and James Bradberry after expressing interest, among others. Van Noy was drafted 40th overall by the Lions in 2014, and was initially a big disappointment.
He barely played his first couple of years in the league, but began to break out after he was traded to the Pats. He had 6.5 sacks last year while being a key part of a Patriots defense that put up historic numbers for much of the year. Miami obviously wasn’t all-in on winning this past year, but after a brief rebuild they’re clearly intent on turning things around in 2020.
They overachieved with Ryan Fitzpatrick and a bunch of cast-offs in 2019, so it’ll be very interesting to see what Flores can do with all these big new pieces.
Bears To Sign Jimmy Graham
Jimmy Graham has found a new home, and he’s staying in the NFC North. The tight end is signing a two-year deal with the Bears, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
It’s a $16MM pact for Graham, with $9MM of that guaranteed. ESPN’s Field Yates has more details and notes that the deal includes some incentives and a rare no-trade clause (Twitter link).
The Packers cut Graham last week to avoid paying him the final year of the three-year, $30MM deal he signed with Green Bay in 2018. Graham established himself as one of the best offensive weapons in the game during his time with the Saints, having four straight seasons with at least 889 yards from 2011-14. A third-round pick back in 2010, Graham has made five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams.
He was traded to the Seahawks for a first-round pick in 2015, and his effectiveness started to dip after that. He had ten touchdowns in 2017 and was still a great redzone threat, but had only 520 yards. He got the big deal from the Packers but was a disappointment, only racking up 447 yards last season.
He’s been a warrior and has managed to play in all 16 games in four straight seasons, but he’s dealt with a seemingly never-ending string of minor injuries that have reduced his effectiveness physically. Now 33, it’s anyone’s guess as to what he’ll look like in 2020. Still, he should be an upgrade for the Bears, who haven’t had anything consistent at the position in years despite multiple attempts to address it. They gave a big contract to Trey Burton last offseason, and while they hope to still see a return on that investment, the deal for Graham suggests that Chicago doesn’t have a ton of confidence in Burton at this point.
Jets Talking With Kyle Van Noy
The Jets have whiffed on a bunch of big free agents they were supposedly interested in, most recently cornerback James Bradberry and Byron Jones. New York is remaining active though, and they’re “in discussions” with outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, sources told Connor Hughes of The Athletic (Twitter link).
We heard a couple of weeks ago that the Jets were going to target top pass-rushers, and Van Noy would certainly help them get after the quarterback. The Jets haven’t had many consistent outside rushers in recent years, and they’ll likely have to pay up if they want to land the Patriots free agent. The Lions drafted Van Noy 40th overall in 2014, and the BYU product was initially a big disappointment.
He played sparingly his first two years in the league, then finally began to get some consistent playing time in 2016. Detroit flipped him to New England for a late-round pick in October of that year, and he began to thrive with the Patriots. He started 12 games in 2017, and at least 15 in each of the last two.
This past season, he had 56 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles while being a very large part of a Patriots defense that was putting up historic numbers for much of the year. We’ll keep you posted if we hear anything more between these two division rivals.
Ravens To Sign Michael Brockers
The Ravens are bolstering their defensive front. Baltimore is signing free agent defensive lineman Michael Brockers, his agent told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s a big deal for Brockers, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that he’ll be getting $30MM over three years. $21MM of it is fully guaranteed, Garafolo noted in a follow-up tweet. The Ravens will now have one of the most imposing defensive lines in the league, as they just landed Calais Campbell in a trade with the Jaguars on Sunday. They’ve already got Brandon Williams on the interior, so this is a unit that’s going to be hard to block in 2020.
The Rams drafted Brockers in the first-round all the way back in 2012, and he’s been with them his entire career until now. He’s been very sturdy and reliable, starting all 16 games in six of his eight seasons. In the other two, he appeared in at least 13 games. He’s never quite been an elite player, but he’s always been solid.
This past season playing next to Aaron Donald he had 63 tackles and three sacks. The Rams are stretched pretty thin financially, so it would’ve been very hard for them to match an offer like this. The Ravens were one of the league’s breakout teams last season, and they’ve been very bold this offseason after their disappointing divisional round exit in the playoffs. They also added a second-round pick by shipping out tight end Hayden Hurst earlier today.
James Bradberry To Sign With Giants
Another one of the top free agents is off the board. Cornerback James Bradberry will be going to the Giants on a three-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Bradberry’s pact will be worth $45MM, with $32MM of it being guaranteed. We heard a couple of weeks ago that the Panthers were unlikely to re-sign Bradberry, with Carolina being reluctant to dole out this kind of cash as they enter somewhat of a rebuild. The Jets were interested in Bradberry as were many other teams, meaning the Jets have been interested in but unable to land seemingly every big free agent so far.
Bradberry was one of the top corners available and he likely helped set the market for Byron Jones, who agreed to sign with the Dolphins moments later. Bradberry was drafted by the Panthers in the second-round back in 2016, and spent his first four years in Carolina. He’s started at least 15 games in each of the past three years, and has had at least ten passes defended in each of his four pro seasons.
The Giants’ secondary struggled mightily last year, so this was very much a position of need for them. They cut long-time starter Janoris Jenkins towards the end of last year after multiple clashes with the coaching staff, and were left with a bunch of inexperienced young guys at corner. First-round pick Deandre Baker was a disappointment as a rookie, and New York is hoping Bradberry can provide some stability to the unit. It’s the first major move of the Joe Judge era.
Titans Re-Sign Dennis Kelly To Three-Year Deal
The Titans lost Jack Conklin when he agreed to sign a big contract with the Browns, and they weren’t about to let a second offensive tackle walk out the door. Tennessee is re-signing Dennis Kelly with a three-year deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The pact is worth $21MM with Kelly getting $8.75M guaranteed, Yates reports. Conklin had been the team’s starting right tackle, and it seems like Kelly will likely slide into that role. Kelly would provide a steady if unspectacular transition, as he has been with the team for a while. He has served as their swing tackle behind Conklin and Taylor Lewan recently, starting at least four games in three of the past four years.
Titans beat-writer Paul Kuharsky cautioned in a tweet that it’s not guaranteed Kelly starts however, and he could remain their third tackle depending on what else they do. It’s possible Tennessee will add competition for him in the draft. A Purdue product, Kelly was originally drafted in the fifth-round by the Eagles back in 2012.
He started ten games as a rookie but missed his entire sophomore season. Just before the start of the 2016 campaign he was traded to the Titans in exchange for Dorial Green-Beckham.