Titans To Re-Sign Karl Klug
The Titans have agreed to re-sign defensive lineman Karl Klug, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. Details of the deal aren’t yet available.
Klug’s new accord means the soon-to-be 29-year-old will continue with his only NFL employer to date. Tennesee chose Klug in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, and he has since appeared in 94 of a possible 96 games during his six-year career. Klug has worked almost exclusively as a reserve, having picked up just seven starts, though he has managed 20 sacks and five forced fumbles. He burst on the scene with seven sacks as a rookie.
Last season was Klug’s first campaign in which he didn’t total 16 appearances. In 14 contests, he chipped in 1.5 sacks and drew praise from Pro Football Focus, which ranked his performance an outstanding 22nd among 127 qualified interior D-linemen. All told, Klug accumulated 397 snaps on defense and another 155 on special teams in 2016.
Chargers To Re-Sign Andre Williams
Free agent running back Andre Williams has agreed to re-sign with the Chargers. Williams announced the news on Instagram.
The 24-year-old Williams noted that he’ll have to earn a roster spot in Los Angeles, which isn’t surprising for a player who struggled to garner playing time last season. The Bolts claimed Williams off waivers in September, cut him three weeks later and then re-signed him as a practice squad member. He did end up appearing in one game with the club, in Week 17, and he impressed with 87 yards on 18 carries in the Chargers’ season-ending loss to the Chiefs.
A fourth-round pick out of Boston College in 2014, Williams spent the first two years of his career with the Giants. The bulk of his work came in his 16-game rookie campaign, during which he posted all seven of his career starts, scored seven rushing touchdowns and amassed 721 yards on 217 attempts. That only amounted to a 3.3 per-carry average for Williams, which matches his career mark in 323 tries.
J.J. Wilcox To Visit Seahawks
In addition to meeting with the Buccaneers, free agent safety J.J. Wilcox will visit the Seahawks, reports Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Wilcox spent the first four seasons of his career with the Cowboys, but they won’t attempt to re-sign the 26-year-old, per George.
Wilcox is now poised to become the second safety to leave Dallas in free agency this year, joining soon-to-be Jaguar Barry Church. Functioning as the Cowboys’ third safety behind Church and Byron Jones last season, Wilcox appeared in 13 games and picked off the fifth pass of his career. Wilcox only started four contests – down from 16 in 2014 and 13 in 2015 – but Pro Football Focus ranked his performance a terrific 27th among 89 qualified safeties.
The next chapter of Wilcox’s career could take him to Seattle, which boasts a highly accomplished secondary and two star safeties in Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. Chancellor is currently scheduled to become a free agent next offseason, though, and Thomas flirted with retirement after an injury-shortened 2016.
Jets To Re-Sign Josh Martin
The Jets are bringing back linebacker Josh Martin on a two-year, $4.3MM deal, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 25-year-old Martin is coming off his first season as a member of the Jets, with whom he totaled a career-high 15 appearances. While Martin was barely a factor on defense, having registered just one tackle and a half-sack, he was a key special teams cog. Martin took part in 76.9 percent of the Jets’ ST snaps.
Before joining the Jets last year, Martin divided his first three seasons between the Chiefs and Buccaneers. He originally signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent from Columbia University in 2013.
Titans Interested In Brandon Williams
The Titans are among the teams with interest in free agent defensive tackle Brandon Williams, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). However, the two might not be able to find common ground on a price, McCormick adds.
As of earlier Thursday, Williams’ agent was working on a contract with the Ravens, the 28-year-old’s only NFL employer to date. Williams entered the league as a third-round pick in 2013 and has since piled up 55 appearances and 46 starts in Baltimore. Last year was the third straight 16-game campaign for Williams, who also started all of the Ravens’ games for the second season in a row and ranked 39th in performance among Pro Football Focus‘ 127 qualified D-linemen.
Given his track record, the 335-pound Williams – who ranks as one of the top free agents left on the board – figures to come at a high cost. An adept run defender, Williams would further beef up a Tennessee ‘D’ that already fared well against opposing rushers last season, when it ranked second in ground yards allowed and 10th in DVOA versus the run.
Dolphins To Sign Ted Larsen
A busy day continues for the Dolphins: The team is set to sign free agent guard Ted Larsen to a three-year deal, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
With 2016 starter Jermon Bushrod now on the market, the Dolphins entered Thursday in search of help along the interior O-line. Larsen could help the Dolphins’ cause, then. The soon-to-be 30-year-old will certainly provide versatility to Miami, having lined up at each guard spot and center during his seven-season career.
As a member of the Bears in 2016, Larsen appeared in 15 games, made eight starts and ranked 44th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified guards. He previously combined for 86 appearances and 57 starts with the Buccaneers and Cardinals from 2010-15.
49ers To Sign Robbie Gould
The 49ers have agreed to a deal with free agent kicker Robbie Gould, reports Alex Flanagan of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s a two-year pact, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan (Twitter link via Adam Schefter).
Gould will take over in San Francisco for Phil Dawson, who signed with the NFC West rival Cardinals on Thursday. The 49ers will be the third NFL franchise for the 35-year-old Gould, who spent 2005-15 with the Bears. A couple months after Chicago released him prior to last season, Gould hooked on with the Giants in October.
A career 85.9 percent field goal kicker, Gould converted all 10 of his attempts in 10 games last year and also hit on 20 of 23 extra points. His PAT performance with Big Blue represented a drop-off from his showing in 2015 in Chicago, where he nailed 28 of 29 extra points.
In heading to San Francisco, Gould will rejoin special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, who was the Bears’ assistant ST coach last year. With Gould, Steven Hauschka and Nick Novak now off the market, Nick Folk stands as PFR’s top-rated free agent kicker.
Falcons Re-Sign Two
The Falcons have re-signed tight end Levine Toilolo and linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, per a team announcement. Toilolo will get $12MM over three years, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal includes a $3MM signing bonus, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The tight end will earn $1.5MM in the first year, and his salary will then jump to $3.5MM and $4MM. There’s also a $500K receptions escalator added to the deal. Meanwhile, Wilson tweets that it’s a $1.3MM deal for Reynolds, which includes an $850K salary, a $250K signing bonus, and up to $550K in incentives.
The 25-year-old Toilolo has spent the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He has since appeared in 64 straight regular-season games and amassed 62 catches, including 13 last year. While his reception total was low for the NFC champs last season, Toilolo averaged 20.3 yards per grab, added two touchdowns and started in 11 games. He also ranked a decent 27th among Pro Football Focus‘ qualified tight ends.
After spending his first three years between Jacksonville and Chicago, Reynolds found a home in Atlanta in 2016. He made 16 appearances, including three starts, and totaled 23 tackles. The majority of Reynolds’ work last year came on special teams, where he saw action in 57.3 percent of snaps.
Titans Agree To Deals With Three
Looking to bolster their special teams unit, the Titans have made a trio of notable moves in that phase of the game. In addition to re-signing linebacker Nate Palmer, the club has agreed to deals with safety Brynden Trawick and another LB, Daren Bates (Twitter links via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN, Adam Caplan of ESPN and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports).
Trawick is now the highest-paid special teamer in the NFL, having landed a contract worth a max of $6.85MM over two years. The Titans will be the third team for the 27-year-old Trawick, who was with the Ravens from 2013-15 and the Raiders last season. Trawick saw action in 67.7 percent of the Raiders’ special teams plays.
Bates was teammates with Trawick last year in Oakland, where the former was involved in 83.9 percent of the club’s special teams plays. Bates, who spent 2013-15 with the Rams, will make $6MM on a three-year deal.
Palmer, meanwhile, was on the field for 60 percent of the Titans’ special teams snaps a year ago and is now set to remain with the club for the next two seasons. The 27-year-old was with Green Bay in the 2013 and ’15 campaigns.
Each of these moves should aid a Titans club whose ST unit finished a below-average 19th in DVOA last season.
Latest On Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles
Even though he’s among the best running backs in NFL history, free agency isn’t unfolding in ideal fashion for seven-time Pro Bowler Adrian Peterson. The careerlong Viking is drawing far less interest on the open market than Jamaal Charles, another highly accomplished, over-30 rusher, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
Since Wednesday, four teams that could potentially sign Peterson – the Texans, Patriots, Raiders and Seahawks – have shown little to no interest in adding the 31-year-old. He could conceivably return to the running back-needy Vikings, who drafted him in 2007, but they’re now in on a longtime rival, free agent Eddie Lacy, who spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay.
As is the case with Peterson, Charles has been an elite back throughout his career. But the nine-year Chief dealt with serious knee injuries over the past two seasons and combined for just eight appearances as a result. In three games in 2016, Charles only totaled 12 carries. Nevertheless, his market is more robust than Peterson’s. And while the Seahawks don’t want AP, they are primed to visit with Charles next week.