Latest On Free Agent Cornerback Market
Here’s a quick look at the 2018 free agent cornerback market:
- Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson is expected to be the Raiders‘ No. 1 free agent target, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.net. Johnson is not expected to be retained by Los Angeles after it acquired fellow defensive back Marcus Peters from the Chiefs last month. After receiving the franchise tag in each of the past two seasons, the 28-year-old Johnson will finally hit the open market as one of the league’s top free agent corners. Oakland, meanwhile, is looking for a veteran corner to pair with 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley, who barely played during his rookie campaign. The Raiders have already released one starting member of their secondary in David Amerson, and figure to do the same with Sean Smith.
- While the Raiders have interest in Johnson, another Bay Area team — the 49ers — is also expected to pursue the free agent corner, as Pauline reports in a separate piece. San Francisco ranked just 28th in pass defense DVOA a season ago, and are not expected to re-sign its top cornerback in Dontae Johnson. Thus, the 49ers not only have a clear need atop their secondary depth chart, but have gobs of cap space: at nearly $70MM, San Francisco currently ranks fifth in available cap room.
- If the Raiders miss out on Johnson, they could turn their attention to Eagles free agent CB Patrick Robinson, per Pauline. Robinson has played outside corner in the past, but posted arguably the best season of his career as Philadelphia’s slot cornerback in 2017. T.J. Carrie, who saw the majority of the slot action for the Raiders last year, is an unrestricted free agent, so the 31-year-old Robinson would make for a ready-made replacement. The Eagles, notably, have interest in re-signing Robinson, while Pauline reports the Cardinals could also make a bid.
- The Jets hope to acquire two starting cornerbacks this offseason, but they’re “not close” to re-signing internal option Morris Claiborne, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Gang Green also has interest in Johnson, but most in league circles believe he will end up with Oakland or San Francisco, per Pauline.
Eagles To Release DL Vinny Curry?
The Eagles are expected to release defensive lineman Vinny Curry, but could attempt to restructure his contract before making the cut official, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (all Twitter links). Meanwhile, other NFL clubs are expressing interest in trading for Curry, per Rapoport.
Philadelphia, of course, is coming off a Super Bowl title, but now faces an offseason of cost-cutting. Releasing Curry represents the first of those moves, as parting ways with the veteran defender will clear his $9MM base salary from the Eagles’ 2018 books. However, $6MM worth of Curry’s prorated bonus money will now immediately accelerated onto Philadelphia’s salary cap, leaving the club with a net savings of $5MM.
For most teams, a $5MM cap savings would represent a drop in the bucket, but it’s a critical total for the Eagles, who were a projected $10.41MM over the cap before cutting Curry. Philadelphia will still be over the cap following Curry’s release, so more transactions — which could potentially include cutting wide receiver Torrey Smith or trading backup quarterback Nick Foles — are likely on the table.
Curry, 29, played the most defensive snaps of his career (576) of his career in 2017, and saw the third-most playtime among Eagles defensive lineman. While Curry managed only three sacks, he posted 28.5 quarterback pressures and graded as the NFL’s No. 21 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Curry excellent marks for his run defense.
Philadelphia, though, has cheaper options along its defensive line. Brandon Graham will earn just $8MM in base salary in 2018, the final year of his contract, while Chris Long will collect only $2.25MM. And the Eagles used their 2017 first-round pick on edge rusher Derek Barnett, who is under team control through at least 2020 at cost effective rates.
Given his track record and his ability to slide to defensive tackle in sub packages, Curry should be able to generate a market in free agency. He’ll be aided by a weak free agent defensive end class, as well as the fact that he won’t factor into the 2019 compensatory pick formula now that’s been released.
Latest On Cardinals’ Free Agent WRs
Two Cardinals free agent wide receivers are already drawing interest around the league: nine clubs are eyeing Jaron Brown, while seven teams have interest on John Brown, according to Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter link).
A number of clubs consider Jaron Brown a potential No. 2 wide receiver who can also play special teams, per Jurecki. Brown, 28, posted the best season of his career in 2017 by registering 31 receptions for 477 yards and four touchdowns. He’d previously been a key special teams player for Arizona, but as his role in the Cardinals’ offense grew, his ST playtime decreased. Last year, Brown played on only a third of Arizona’s special teams snaps, a career low.
John Brown, meanwhile, is coming off the worst season of his NFL tenure, as injuries limited him to just 10 games in 2017. During that time, Brown managed only 21 receptions for 299 yards and two scores. As recently as 2015, however, the now 27-year-old Brown put up 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s now finally healthy, per Jurecki, meaning it shouldn’t be a surprise if clubs see Brown as an upside play.
PFR Originals: 2/25/18 – 3/4/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- As the offseason progresses, PFR will assess each team by examining the top three needs on each respective NFL roster. We covered two organizations last week:
- The NFL has now announced the 2018 compensatory selections and used a coin flip to settle a tie between the 49ers and Raiders, so the Complete 2018 Draft Order is now available.
- A number of selections have been already been dealt, and you can keep track of them by bookmarking our list of 2018 Traded NFL Draft Picks.
Browns Tried To Trade For Robert Quinn
The Buccaneers weren’t the only team that tried (and failed) to trade for Rams edge rusher Robert Quinn. The Browns also attempted to land Quinn, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, but both Tampa Bay and Cleveland ultimately lost out to the Dolphins, who acquired the veteran defensive end last week.
The Browns own the most draft capital of any club in the NFL, so they likely could have topped any offer made by the Dolphins. Cleveland owns nine picks inside the top 150, while Miami sent fourth- and sixth-round picks to Los Angeles in exchange for Quinn and a sixth-rounder. However, the Browns only offered a fifth-round selection, tweets Laine.
Cleveland, notably, also possesses the most cap space in the league, meaning it could easily fit the remainder of Quinn’s contract on its books. Quinn, 27, is due roughly $24.377MM over the next two seasons.
In 2017, the Browns 17th in adjusted sack rate, 21st in sacks, and 23rd in pressure rate, and while Myles Garrett clearly fills one defensive end spot, Quinn would have joined a Cleveland edge rushing group that also includes Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib, and Nate Orchard. As he will with the Dolphins (and would’ve with the Buccaneers), Quinn will now shift back to a 4-3 scheme after spending last with the Rams in a 3-4 front.
Browns Open To Saquon Barkley At No. 1
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is “firmly in the mix” to be selected by the Browns with the first overall pick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Indeed, Barkley would likely be Cleveland’s choice if the draft occurred today, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Barkley is fresh off dominating the NFL’s scouting combine, as he ranked in the 96th percentile or greater among halfbacks in the 40-yard dash, bench press, and vertical jump. He also topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his three seasons with the Nittany Lions, and reached the end zone 43 times over his final two collegiate years.
Selecting Barkley at No. 1 overall would mean the Browns would likely select a quarterback at No. 4, and Cleveland reportedly likes Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield “a lot,” per Garafolo. Of course, if the Browns don’t select Mayfield — or another signal-caller –with the first overall selection, there’s no guarantee their preferred option would be available three picks later. However, given the small three-space gap in their first-round slots, the Browns would be assured of landing one of Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, or Josh Allen at No. 4.
As Rapoport notes, a running back has not been drafted first overall since the Bengals took Ki-Jana Carter — like Barkley, a Penn State alum — in 1995. Running back has become something of a devalued position, especially contractually, but Barkley would be entitled to a $8.2MM annual salary if selected at No. 1. That figure would immediately place Barkley among the top-three highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
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.
Bucs Explored Trade For DE Robert Quinn
The Buccaneers looked into trading for defensive end Robert Quinn before the Rams dealt him to the Dolphins, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Rams eventually landed a 2018 fourth- and sixth-round picks in exchange for Quinn and a 2018 sixth-rounder. Tampa Bay, however, only offered a fourth-round choice, tweets Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.
While the Bucs weren’t able to land Quinn, there interest denotes a clear need to add pass rushers this offseason. As I noted when assessing Tampa Bay’s most pressing roster needs, the Buccaneers finished dead last in sacks (22), adjusted sack rate, and pressure rate in 2017, leading the club to replace former defensive line coach Jay Hayes with Brentson Buckner.
Tampa Bay needs to address the interior of its defensive line after releasing Chris Baker (and have already been linked to free agent Dontari Poe), but if the team wants to add reinforcements on the edge, it won’t have many options on the free agent market. Demarcus Lawrence and Ezekiel Ansah will be taken off the board by franchise tags, leaving the Buccaneers to peruse second-tier defensive ends such as Adrian Clayborn, William Hayes, Trent Murphy, and Julius Peppers.
Traded NFL Draft Picks For 2018
While many 2018 NFL draft picks that get traded won’t be moved until later in the offseason, or during the draft itself, plenty of selections have already changed hands. This list will continue to be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back after trades have been consummated for an updated look at which picks are on the move for 2018. If you have any corrections, please contact us.
Here are 2018’s traded draft picks:
Updated 4-8-18 (1:45pm CT)
Round 1
- Jets acquired pick No. 3 from Colts.
- Browns acquired pick No. 4 from Texans in deal for QB Deshaun Watson.
- Colts acquired pick No. 6 from Jets in deal for No. 3 pick.
- Bills acquired pick No. 12 from Bengals in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Bengals acquired pick No. 21 from Bills in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Bills acquired pick No. 22 from Chiefs in deal for QB Patrick Mahomes.
- Patriots acquired pick No. 23 from Rams in deal for WR Brandin Cooks.
Round 2
- Browns acquired pick No. 35 from Texans in deal for QB Brock Osweiler.
- Colts acquired pick No. 37 from Jets in deal for No. 3 pick.
- Patriots acquired pick No. 43 from 49ers in deal for QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
- Colts acquired pick No. 49 from Jets in deal for No. 3 pick.
- Bills acquired pick No. 56 from Rams in deal for WR Sammy Watkins.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 59 from Saints in deal for RB Alvin Kamara.
- Browns acquired pick No. 64 from Eagles in deal for 2016 No. 2 pick.
Round 3
- Bills acquired pick No. 65 from Browns in deal for QB Tyrod Taylor.
- Giants acquired pick No. 69 from Buccaneers in deal for DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 70 from Bears in deal for QB Mitch Trubisky.
- Chiefs acquired pick No. 78 from Redskins in deal for QB Alex Smith.
- Texans acquired pick No. 80 from Seahawks in deal for T Duane Brown.
- Panthers acquired pick No. 85 from Bills in deal for WR Kelvin Benjamin.
- Bills acquired pick No. 96 from Eagles in deal for CB Ronald Darby.
Round 4
- Packers acquired pick No. 101 from Browns in deal for DB Damarious Randall.
- Buccaneers acquired pick No. 102 from Giants in deal for DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
- Giants acquired pick No. 108 from Buccaneers in deal for DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 109 from Broncos in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Rams acquired pick No. 111 from Dolphins in deal for DE Robert Quinn.
- Broncos acquired pick No. 113 from Redskins in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Browns acquired pick No. 114 from Packers in deal for QB DeShone Kizer.
- Bears acquired pick No. 115 from Cardinals in deal for S Budda Baker.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 123 from Browns in deal for WR Jarvis Landry.
- Chiefs acquired pick No. 124 from Rams in deal for CB Marcus Peters.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 128 from Steelers in deal for TE Vance McDonald.
- Eagles acquired pick No. 130 from Patriots in deal for CB Eric Rowe.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 131 from Eagles in deal RB Jay Ajayi.
- Rams acquired pick No. 135 from Giants in deal for LB Alec Ogletree.
- Rams acquired pick No. 136 from Patriots in deal for WR Brandin Cooks.
Round 5
- Packers acquired pick No. 138 from Browns in deal for DB Damarious Randall.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 141 from Texans in deal for T Duane Brown.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 142 from Broncos in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 143 from Jets in deal for CB Rashard Robinson.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 146 from Raiders in deal for RB Marshawn Lynch.
- Saints acquired pick No. 147 from Dolphins in deal for LB Stephone Anthony.
- Steelers acquired pick No. 148 from 49ers in deal for TE Vance McDonald.
- Broncos acquired pick No. 149 from Redskins in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Browns acquired pick No. 150 from Packers in deal for QB DeShone Kizer.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 156 from Eagles in deal for DL Michael Bennett.
- Jets acquired pick No. 157 from Cowboys in deal for S Xavier Woods.
- Bengals acquired pick No. 158 from Bills in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Raiders acquired pick No. 159 from Patriots in deal for WR Cordarrelle Patterson.
- Broncos acquired pick No. 160 from the Rams in deal for CB Aqib Talib.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 163 from Broncos in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Bills acquired pick No. 166 from Jaguars in deal for DT Marcell Dareus.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 168 from Patriots in deal for DE Cassius Marsh.
- Raiders acquired pick No. 173 from Cowboys in deal for FB Jamize Olawale.
Round 6
- Rams acquired pick No. 176 from Giants in deal for LB Alec Ogletree.
- Cardinals acquired pick No. 182 from Broncos in deal for T Jared Veldheer.
- Rams acquired pick No. 183 from Dolphins in deal for DE Robert Quinn.
- Bills acquired pick No. 187 from Bengals in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Browns acquired pick No. 188 from Redskins in deal for QB Kevin Hogan.
- Saints acquired pick No. 189 from Cardinals in deal for RB Adrian Peterson.
- Cowboys acquired pick from Raiders in deal for FB Jamize Olawale.
- Rams acquired pick No. 194 from Lions in deal for T Greg Robinson.
- Rams acquired pick No. 195 from Bills in deal for CB E.J. Gaines.
- Patriots acquired pick No. 198 from Rams in deal for WR Brandin Cooks.
- Buccaneers acquired pick No. 202 from Steelers in deal for S J.J. Wilcox.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 205 from Browns in deal for QB Kevin Hogan.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 209 from Rams in deal for DE Robert Quinn.
- Raiders acquired pick No. 210 from Patriots in deal for WR Cordarrelle Patterson.
Round 7
- Patriots acquired pick No. 219 from Browns in deal for CB Jason McCourty.
- Steelers acquired pick No. 220 from Giants in deal for CB Ross Cockrell.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 223 from Dolphins in deal for C Daniel Kilgore.
- Vikings acquired pick No. 225 from the Broncos in deal for QB Trevor Siemian.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 226 from Jets in deal for WR Jermaine Kearse.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 227 from the 49ers in deal for C Daniel Kilgore.
- Jaguars acquired pick No. 230 from Bengals in deal for DE Chris Smith.
- Chiefs acquire pick No. 233 from Cardinals in deal for CB Marcus Cooper.
- Panthers acquired pick No. 234 from Bills in deal for WR Kelvin Benjamin.
- Jets acquired pick No. 235 from Seahawks in deal for DT Sheldon Richardson.
- Packers acquired pick No. 239 from Bills in deal for LB Lerentee McCray.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 240 from Chiefs in deal for CB Kenneth Acker.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 241 from the Rams in deal for TE Derek Carrier.
- Chiefs acquired pick No. 243 from the Titans in deal for DE David King.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 248 from Vikings in deal for CB Tramaine Brock.
- Bengals acquired pick No. 249 from Patriots in deal for LB Marquis Flowers.
- Eagles acquired pick No. 250 from Seahawks in deal for DL Michael Bennett.
Complete 2018 NFL Draft Order
The full 2018 NFL draft order can be found below, sorted by round. The list of 256 selections includes all traded draft picks and compensatory picks, and will continue to be updated leading up to the draft if additional deals are made. For an explanation of how traded picks were acquired, check out our complete breakdown.
Here’s the complete 2018 NFL draft order:
Updated 4-8-18 (1:46pm CT)
Round One:
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- New York Jets (from Indianapolis)
- Cleveland Browns (from Houston)
- Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Chicago Bears
- San Francisco 49ers
- Oakland Raiders
- Miami Dolphins
- Buffalo Bills (from Cincinnati)
- Washington Redskins
- Green Bay Packers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Baltimore Ravens
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Cincinnati Bengals (from Buffalo)
- Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City)
- New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Rams)
- Carolina Panthers
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- Philadelphia Eagles
Round Two:
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- Cleveland Browns (from Houston)
- Indianapolis Colts
- Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets)
- Tampa Bay Buccaners
- Chicago Bears
- Denver Broncos
- Oakland Raiders
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots (from San Francisco)
- Washington Redskins
- Green Bay Packers
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Indianapolis Colts (from Seattle via New York Jets)
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Carolina Panthers
- Buffalo Bills (from Los Angeles Rams)
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- San Francisco 49ers (from New Orleans)
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia)