Patriots Release Kyle Arrington
The Patriots have informed cornerback Kyle Arrington of his release, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter).
Arrington, who signed a four-year, $16MM contract with the Patriots in 2013, had two years left on his deal at non-guaranteed salaries of $3MM in 2015 and $3.5MM in 2016. A reunion between him and the Pats at a reduced salary hasn’t been ruled out, per both Reiss and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).
The 28-year-old Arrington joined the Patriots in 2009 after going undrafted out of Hofstra in 2008. He appeared in 86 regular-season games with New England and totaled nine interceptions (including a league-best seven in 2011).
If Arrington doesn’t return to the Pats, they’ll have lost their top three corners from last season’s Super Bowl-winning team – Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner departed earlier this offseason in free agency.
Steelers Sign Two Draft Picks
The Steelers have signed a pair of draft picks, inking fourth-round cornerback Dorian Grant and sixth-round linebacker Anthony Chickillo to deals, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).
With Grant and Chickillo aboard, the Steelers have now signed three of eight picks from their 2015 draft class. They came to an agreement with sixth-round defensive tackle L.T. Walton last week.
Patriots, Fred Davis Agree To Deal
The Patriots and free agent tight end Fred Davis have agreed to a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Financial terms of the deal are not yet available.
Davis, 29, sat out all of last season after the NFL suspended him indefinitely for substance-abuse violations. The league reinstated him last week. Prior to 2014, he spent six seasons in Washington and caught 162 passes and 13 touchdowns. His best output came in 2011, when he amassed 59 receptions and 796 yards.
As a member of the Patriots, Davis will join a crowded tight end group that includes superstar Rob Gronkowski, Scott Chandler, Tim Wright, Michael Hoomanawanui, and sixth-round rookie A.J. Derby.
Washington Agrees To Terms With 10, Waives One
Washington has agreed to terms with nine of 10 picks from its 2015 draft class, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Eight of the nine have signed their contracts, according to ESPN’s John Keim (Twitter link). The only member of the class without a deal is first-rounder Brandon Scherff. Here’s the full list of picks with whom Washington has reached agreements:
- Preston Smith, linebacker, Mississippi State (second round, 38th overall)
- Matt Jones, running back, Florida (third round, 95th overall)
- Jamison Crowder, wide receiver, Duke (fourth round, 105th overall)
- Arie Kouandjio, offensive lineman, Alabama (fourth round, 112th overall)
- Martrell Spaight, linebacker, Arkansas (fifth round, 141st overall)
- Kyshoen Jarrett, safety, Virginia Tech (sixth round, 181st overall)
- Tevin Mitchel, cornerback, Arkansas (sixth round, 182nd overall)
- Evan Spencer, wide receiver, Ohio State (sixth round, 187th overall)
- Austin Reiter, center, South Florida (seventh round, 222nd overall)
Additionally, Washington has re-signed offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe and waived cornerback Courtney Bridget, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). The team waived Nsekhe last week before deciding to bring him back.
Extra Points: Fowler, Jordan, Giants, Bolts
Although Jaguars defensive end and third overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. tore his ACL in rookie camp earlier this week and won’t play in 2015, don’t expect the team to shortchange him on his first contract. Fowler, who is currently unsigned, will still receive the deal he was originally going to get, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
The injury to Fowler might bring about a change in the structure of his contract, not the value, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. That could include an offset clause in Fowler’s deal, meaning the Jags would owe him less money in the event that they release him down the line. Further, in the wake of Fowler’s injury, Corry believes agents could insist their unsigned clients sit out rookie minicamp in the future.
Here’s other news from around the league as Saturday wraps up:
- Linebacker Dion Jordan, whom the Dolphins chose third overall in 2013, has an uncertain future with the team after his most recent suspension, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. While the Dolphins stood by Jordan in the past, head coach Joe Philbin isn’t committed to having him back in 2016.
- It isn’t set in stone that ninth overall pick Ereck Flowers will be the Giants’ starting right tackle in 2015, according to offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. “Justin Pugh, right now, is the starting right tackle for the Giants,” said McAdoo, per Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News.
- If Flowers doesn’t end up on the right side, there’s a chance he could be the Giants’ solution at left tackle. “We believe that he has a skill set to play left tackle in this league,’’ McAdoo said, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “We will give him opportunities to train at multiple spots.’’
- Chargers team president Dean Spanos met with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer earlier this week. That might be a sign negotiations on a new stadium are picking up, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Williams expects the Chargers to give an update on their situation in two weeks at the league’s owners meetings. If a new stadium deal isn’t reached between the Chargers and San Diego by the end of next season, the team will be able to relocate. Carson, Calif., is its likely destination.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
NFC Notes: Bears, 49ers, Saints, Falcons
New Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes 33-year-old Jared Allen, who’s shifting from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker, could be in line for a career renaissance.
“Like I told him, I think he can have a rebirth to his career here playing a little bit of a new position,” said Fangio, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. “But in the NFL today, you play more nickel than you actually play base. For some teams they play nickel 65 to 75 percent of the time. He’ll be playing his normal position then. So it’s not as drastic of a change as you might think.”
More production from Allen would be a welcome sight for Chicago, which had the third-worst defense in the NFL in 2014. Allen finished with just 5.5 sacks, the lowest total of an 11-year career that has seen him take down opposing quarterbacks 134 times.
Fangio is similarly hopeful about one of Allen’s fellow linebackers, Shea McClellin, adjusting well to his defense. McClellin, a 2012 first-round pick, has a meager 7.5 sacks during his first three seasons. Those years were spent shifting between defensive end and outside linebacker in the Bears’ previous 4-3 scheme. The 25-year-old will move to the inside of the linebacking corps as part of Fangio’s 3-4.
“I think he has a chance to be a good inside linebacker,” said Fangio. “We’re going to give him a full opportunity here and a full chance to learn the position so we can evaluate him and see if that’s a good spot for him.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The 49ers’ defense lost multiple key elements during a chaotic offseason. Star linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland both retired, while defensive lineman Justin Smith is contemplating joining them. One important returning face is linebacker Aldon Smith, who’s ready to become the leader of their defense in a contract year. “It’s a role I’m comfortable with,” Smith said, according to CSNBayArea.com. “Obviously, losing guys who were here … someone steps up. And it’s something I have no problem doing.” Smith has a whopping 44 sacks in 50 regular-season games, but the four-year veteran’s career has been beset by off-field issues.
- The Saints are expected to feel the loss of elite tight end Jimmy Graham, whom they traded to the Seahawks earlier this offseason, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes that the team’s offense might not drop off as drastically as some think. The Saints have fielded a top six offense every year during the Sean Payton–Drew Brees era, leading the league three times in yardage before Graham even got to New Orleans. In terms of weaponry, Triplett believes the additions of running back C.J. Spiller and wide receiver Brandin Cooks could help make up for the loss of Graham.
- Falcons superstar wide receiver Julio Jones is in line for a big contract extension, but there hasn’t been much progress on getting a new deal done. General manager Thomas Dimitroff didn’t provide an update on Jones’ situation on Saturday, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Randy Gregory, the Cowboys’ newly drafted pass rusher, is off to a good start at the team’s rookie camp. The second-round pick looked like more than just a speed rusher Saturday, showing off an array of moves and netting a would-be sack, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
AFC North Notes: Browns QBs, Whitworth
Many have already given up on Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel after a rookie season consisting of on- and off-the-field problems, but new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo still has high hopes for the 22-year-old.
“All I know is Johnny the football player, and he’s been awesome,” DeFilippo said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “He’s been working hard, very hard with myself and (quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell), and doing what we want him to do on the field.”
DeFilippo believes there are obvious strengths to Manziel’s game, also stating that the offense will be tailored to his skillset if he beats out likely starter Josh McCown for the No. 1 job.
“I think Johnny has a lot of traits that good quarterbacks in this league have. It’s just a matter of getting better at them,” said DeFilippo. “I’m the last guy – the last guy — that’s going to take Johnny Manziel’s athleticism away from him. I will not do that.”
While DeFilippo seems bullish on Manziel, Browns coach Mike Pettine declared McCown the favorite to start earlier this week. DeFilippo is familiar with McCown from the pair’s time in Oakland in 2007 (DeFilippo was the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach). Cabot writes that McCown mainly signed with the Browns to work with DeFilippo again. As he did with Manziel, DeFilippo spoke glowingly of the 35-year-old McCown.
“Josh has been the total guy we thought he was going to be. He has taken command of this offense and he has taken command of the room,” said DeFilippo.
Here’s more on the Browns and a couple of their AFC North rivals:
- Cleveland didn’t draft a quarterback this year because no prospects other than Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are seen as capable of stepping in and starting by 2016, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi believes the Browns will ride out 2015 with McCown and hope to land a QB in next year’s draft, when as many as four passers could go in the first round.
- Although the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth has been one of the best offensive tackles in the league over the past few years, the team used its top two picks on fellow OTs Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in last week’s draft. That didn’t sit well with Whitworth, who is a year from free agency and who has pushed for a contract extension. However, he did say that he would help his two new teammates adjust to the NFL game, and still hopes to remain with the club long term, according to an Associate Press article in USA Today.
- Browns fourth-round pick Vince Mayle will undergo surgery to repair his broken right thumb after rookie camp, writes Cabot. Mayle, who sustained the injury at the Senior Bowl in January, should be ready to go by training camp, according to Pettine. “We wanted him to come out, just see how it was, test it,” said Pettine. “Found out real quick yesterday that there’s still some lingering pain there. So, we’re going to go ahead and get it corrected.”
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says that undrafted defensive back Julian Wilson will remain with the team despite being lost for the year with a broken leg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
Broncos’ Jeff Heuerman Tears ACL
Broncos third-round pick Jeff Heuerman suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during rookie camp Saturday and will likely miss the 2015 season, according to Andrew Mason of the team’s website. The injury happened during a non-contact special teams drill, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
Heuerman, whom the Broncos chose 92nd overall out of Ohio State, joins the Jaguars’ Dante Fowler Jr. as the second draft pick to suffer a season-ending knee injury this week.
“I feel terrible for Jeff and this is a very unfortunate situation,” said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, per Mason. “Jeff was going to be a big part of our team this year, and he’s still going to be a big part of our team and organization in the future.”
Heuerman is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2016 season. For now, the Broncos will have to make do with a stable of tight ends led by offseason signing Owen Daniels.
Titans, 13 UDFAs Agree To Deals
SUNDAY, 4:19pm: The Titans have also signed Middle Tennessee State University running back Reggie Whatley, per Wyatt (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 9:09pm: The Titans have reached agreements with a dozen undrafted free agents, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Here’s the full list:
- Toby Johnson, DL, Georgia
- Deon Long, WR, Maryland
- Derrick Lott, DL, Chattanooga
- Connor Neighbors, FB, LSU
- Josue Matias, OG, Florida State
- Cody Prewitt, S, Mississippi
- Cody Riggs, CB, Notre Dame
- Curtis Riley, CB, Florida State
- Quinton Spain, OG, West Virginia
- J.R. Tavai, DL, USC
- Andrew Turzilli, WR, Rutgers
- Lucas Vincent, DL, Missouri
Texans, 16 UDFAs Reach Deals
The Texans have agreed to terms with 16 undrafted free agents, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26. Here they are:
- Ivory Brandon, DT, Alabama
- Jake Cotton, OG, Nebraska
- Kurtis Drummond, S, Michigan State ($5K bonus, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
- Will Johnson, P, Texas State
- Kendall Lamm, OT, Appalachian State
- Khari Lee, TE, Bowie State
- Mike McFarland, TE, South Florida
- Cam McLeod, DE, Ohio State
- Greg Mancz, C, Toledo
- Dan Pettinato, DE, Arizona State
- James Rouse, DE, Marshall
- Chad Slade, OG, Auburn
- Carlos Thompson, OLB, Mississippi
- Lynden Trail, OLB, Norfolk State
- Tony Washington, OLB, Oregon
- Chandler Worthy, WR, Troy