Saints Release DT Tony McDaniel
The Saints are releasing defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, according to Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link).
New Orleans signed McDaniel earlier this year following the loss of Nick Fairley to a heart condition with the hope that the 32-year-old veteran could offer experience to a depleted defensive interior. McDaniel does boast 141 career appearances and 48 starts, after all, and has been a serviceable rotational option with Seattle and Tampa Bay over the past few seasons.
Instead, the Saints will go with a youthful defensive line that includes last year’s first-round pick in Sheldon Rankins, plus other youngsters such as Tyeler Davison and David Onyemata.
Jets, Seahawks Swap Sheldon Richardson, Jermaine Kearse
The Seahawks have agreed to acquire defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and a 2018 seventh-round pick from the Jets in exchange for wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, a 2018 second-round pick, and a 2018 seventh-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
The Jets and Seahawks had been discussing the concept of this deal for weeks, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. New York, of course, had been shopping Richardson for much longer than that. Seattle reportedly showed interest earlier this year, but it wanted Richardson to accept a paycut from his $8.069MM base salary. This time around, the Seahawks agreed to take on his full salary. The Seahawks were able to take the hit after reworking receiver Doug Baldwin‘s contract and shedding Kearse’s $2.2MM salary in the trade.
Richardson certainly has his warts, which may have contributed to a limited trade market. For one, he wasn’t all that effective last season, as Richardson managed only 1.5 sacks in 15 games (though he still graded out as the NFL’s No. 31 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus). Richardson also comes with off-field question marks, as he has a substance abuse suspension in his past, and has dealt with commitment and tardiness issues.
But, if healthy and motivated, the addition of Richardson would give the Seahawks arguably the best front seven in the NFL. Richardson, who can conceivably play either along the edge or on the interior, would join a Seattle defensive unit that also includes Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, Cliff Avril, Bobby Wagner, and K.J. Wright on the front end, and the vaunted Legion of Boom in the back end.
The Jets, meanwhile, needed a wide receiver following a season-ending injury to Quincy Enunwa, and Kearse will add experience to a group that includes rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. Kearse, 27, posted 41 receptions for 510 yards a season ago, but Seattle has developed enough wideouts — including Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, and Kasen Williams — that Kearse wasn’t needed any longer. The Seahawks had been shopping him earlier this week, and the Browns were among the interested parties.
For a rebuilding club like New York, adding a veteran piece such as Kearse doesn’t make a ton of sense, so it’s possible the Jets took on Kearse simply to help offset Richardson’s salary. Gang Green won’t take on any dead money by trading Richardson, while Seattle will incur roughly $1.83MM in dead cap during the upcoming season as a result of dealing Kearse.
Gee Scott of ESPN Radio (on Twitter) first reported that Kearse had been traded to the Jets.
49ers To Release QB Matt Barkley
The 49ers will release quarterback Matt Barkley, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
While Barkley was never in contention for San Francisco’s starting quarterback job given that the club also inked Brian Hoyer this spring, he was thought to be assured of the 49ers’ backup position. The 26-year-old started six games for the Bears last season, but completed only 59.7% of his passes and tossed 14 interceptions. Barkley’s two-year, $4MM deal with the Niners included $500K in guarantees, so the team will incur $250K in dead money over the next two seasons.
San Francisco will now presumably use third-round rookie C.J. Beathard as its backup signal-caller. Beathard, an Iowa product, was thought to be an overdraft on Day 2, but he’s showed relatively well during camp and the preseason. Of course, the 49ers could also look to find another quarterback via trade or waiver claim in the coming days.
Cardinals To Release RB Chris Johnson
The Cardinals will release running back Chris Johnson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Johnson missed the majority of the 2016 campaign with injury, but had been a solid contributor for Arizona as recently as 2015, when he rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to David Johnson as the club’s starting running back. Having signed a one-year deal that contained $200K guaranteed earlier this year, Johnson had been viewed as a lock for the Cardinals’ roster. Now, the 31-year-old back with have to look for work elsewhere (if he plans to continue his career, that is).
The Cardinals, clearly, are set at running back with the aforementioned Johnson, who figures to handle the majority of the club’s carries. Even superstars need breathers, however, and Arizona will turn to Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington as Johnson’s backups. Rookie T.J. Logan, meanwhile, could return later this year after recovering from injury.
Texans To Cut LB Sio Moore
The Texans are releasing linebacker Sio Moore, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Moore, 27, has four years and 47 games worth of NFL experience under his belt. 2016 was an especially nomadic campaign for Moore, as he spent time with three clubs — the Colts, Cardinals, and Chiefs — while posting 60 tackles and grading as the league’s No. 40 linebacker in nine games, per Pro Football Focus.
Moore dealt with a hamstring injury after being signed by the Texans in June, per Wilson, which likely led to his release. Houston will go forward with Whitney Mercilus, Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, and rookie Zach Cunningham at linebacker.
Broncos Waive RB Juwan Thompson
The Broncos have waived running back Juwan Thompson, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link).
Thompson, 25, has been part of Denver’s roster for three seasons, but has seen his offensive contributions dip in each campaign. He ran the ball just eight times last season, managing 26 total yards and one score. All told, Thompson put up 4.3 yards per carry on 80 touches with the Broncos.
Denver also cut veteran back Stevan Ridley earlier today, leaving the club with C.J. Anderson, Jamaal Charles, and De’Angelo Henderson in the backfield.
Seahawks, Doug Baldwin Rework Contract
The Seahawks and wide receiver Doug Baldwin have agreed to a contract restructure that will create $5.2MM in 2017 cap space for Seattle, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Seahawks Shopping Jermaine Kearse]
Baldwin had been scheduled to earn a base salary of $7.75MM for the upcoming season. Instead, the Seahawks have whittled that figure all the way down to $775K by converting the difference into a signing bonus. Seattle, which had been a bit tight on cap space, now have in excess of $13MM in reserves. Baldwin, meanwhile, will see his cap charge rise by roughly $1.744MM in each of the next three seasons. He’s signed through the 2020 campaign under the terms of his 2016 extension.
By reworking Baldwin’s contract, the Seahawks have made it more difficult to part ways with the veteran pass-catcher in future years. That shouldn’t be a problem if Baldwin continues his recent levels of production, however, as the 28-year-old has topped 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past two seasons while scoring 21 total touchdowns. He’s also excellent in the run game, as Pro Football Focus ranked Baldwin as the league’s No. 9 run-blocking wideout.
Ravens Cut Jeremy Zuttah
The Ravens have released offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah and quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Running back Lorenzo Taliaferro has also that he’s been waived (Twitter link).
Zuttah, 31, has had an eventful offseason, as Baltimore originally dealt him to the 49ers earlier this year. Unable to stick on the roster in San Francisco, Zuttah re-signed with the Ravens last month after the club suffered a multitude of injuries along the offensive line. The Colts were previously interested in Zuttah, who started all 16 games a season ago, so Indianapolis could potentially circle back to Zuttah now that’s available again.
Lewis and Dixon, meanwhile, were never expected to play large parts for the Ravens in 2016. With Joe Flacco on the mend, Baltimore will roll with Ryan Mallett as their No. 2 quarterback. Taliaferro wasn’t able to crack the roster despite the Ravens having lost fellow back Kenneth Dixon for the year.
Browns Trim Roster To 65
The Browns have begun reducing their roster count in advance of tomorrow’s 53-man deadline. Cleveland announced the following transactions:
Placed on reserve/PUP:
Released:
- WR Josh Boyce
- DL Brandon Thompson
Waived:
- WR Mario Alford
- WR Rasheed Bailey
- LB B.J. Bello
- DB Christian Bryant
- DB Trey Caldwell
- LB Ladell Fleming
- DB J.D. Harmon
- DB Alvin Hill
- TE Nate Iese
- TE Taylor McNamara
- WR Richard Mullaney
- OL Kitt O’Brien
- DL Karter Schult
- DB Channing Stribling
- RB Brandon Wilds (injured)
Offseason In Review: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have been a mess since Jim Harbaugh left for Michigan following the 2014 campaign, but the club is perhaps finally getting back on track. With a new general manager and head coach in place, San Francisco spent the offseason rebuilding from the ground up.
Notable signings:
- Pierre Garcon, WR: Five years, $47.5MM. $17MM guaranteed.
- Malcolm Smith, LB: Five years, $26.5MM. $11.5MM guaranteed.
- Brian Hoyer, QB: Two years, $12MM. $9.85MM guaranteed. $6.5MM available via incentives.
- Kyle Juszczyk, FB: Four years, $21MM. $7MM guaranteed.
- Earl Mitchell, DT: Four years, $16MM. $4.65MM guaranteed.
- Marquise Goodwin, WR: Two years, $6MM. $4.45MM guaranteed.
- Jeremy Kerley, WR: Three years, $8.4MM. $2.8MM guaranteed.
- Elvis Dumervil, DE: Two years, $8MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Garry Gilliam, T: One year, $2.2MM. $1.25MM guaranteed. Seahawks declined to match 49ers RFA offer sheet.
- Dekoda Watson, LB: Three years, $4.5MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Robbie Gould, K: Two years, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Don Jones, S: Two years, $2.2MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Matt Barkley, QB: Two years, $4MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Aldrick Robinson, WR: Two years, $4MM. $500K guaranteed. $2MM available via incentives.
- Brock Coyle, LB: One year, $1.45MM. $400K guaranteed.
- Tim Hightower, RB: One year, $1.107MM. $300K guaranteed. $400K available via incentives.
- Logan Paulsen, TE: One year, $1MM. $125K guaranteed.
- K’Waun Williams, CB: One year, $765K. $75K guaranteed. $250K available via incentives.
- Chris Jones, DT: One year, minimum salary benefit. $50K guaranteed.
- Tim Barnes, C: One year, $795K. $20K guaranteed.
- Brandon Fusco, G: One year, $1.4MM.
- Shayne Skov, LB: One year, $615K.
- Will Davis, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Leger Douzable, DT: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Andrew Gardner, OL: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Asa Jackson, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Sen’Derrick Marks, DT: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Louis Murphy, WR: One year, minimum salary benefit.
With a new regime lead by head coach/offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan in place, the 49ers nearly revamped the entirety of their offensive skill positions during the free agent period. That effort started with the signings of quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, who will likely serve as San Francisco’s No. 1 and No. 2 options under center in 2017. The 49ers figure to target a signal-caller upgrade in the coming year, either through an early draft choice or a pursuit of a free agent quarterback such as Kirk Cousins, but a Hoyer/Barkley tandem is a serviceable duo for a rebuilding club, especially given the limited price tag. Hoyer, of course, has worked with Shanahan before, passing for more than 3,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions under the then-Browns play-caller in 2014. While the 31-year-old performed much better in 2016 (no interceptions on 200 pass attempts), Hoyer finished 26th in air yards per attempt among quarterbacks with at least five starts, meaning his success was mostly based around short throws.
Hoyer will be tossing the ball to a wide receiver crew that’s almost entirely new, and is now led by Pierre Garcon. Like Hoyer, Garcon has played for Shanahan in the past, as he lead the NFL in receptions with the Redskins in 2013 while Shanahan was the club’s offensive coordinator. While Garcon may not be a clear-cut No. 1 wideout any more at the age of 31, he’ll serve in that capacity for the 49ers, especially given that he’s familiar with the team’s new offensive scheme. It won’t be a surprise if he improves upon his 114 targets from a season ago, and the club will value his leadership and toughness. San Francisco didn’t stop after adding Garcon, however, as the club also signed Marquise Goodwin, Aldrick Robinson, and Louis Murphy while re-upping Jeremy Kerley. Goodwin is the most intriguing of the bunch, as he’s a former Olympian who ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2013 combine. Ideally, that would make Goodwin a near-perfect option to play the Taylor Gabriel/deep threat role in Shanahan’s offense.
San Francisco’s backfield also saw a makeover headlined by the additions of running back Tim Hightower and fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Hightower is 31 years old, but he doesn’t have the wear-and-tear of a normal running back of that age given that he didn’t play in the NFL from 2012-14 (all told, he’s only rushed 752 times during his pro career). While he should be able to help in the passing game, Hightower could have trouble running behind the 49ers’ sub-par offensive line — according to the 2017 Football Outsiders Almanac, Hightower broke a tackle on only 7.8% of his touches, second-worst in the league. Juszczyk, meanwhile, signed one of the more above-market deals in recent memory, as he blew away all fullback precedents with a $5.25MM annual salary that is more than double the next fullback. The deal is a complete overpay, but Shanahan knows how to deploy fullbacks (see: Patrick DiMarco in 2016), and San Francisco had cap space to burn.
The 49ers used that ample cap space to ink a number of veterans to low-cost contracts (whether that be minimum salary benefit deals or just pacts with little-to-no guaranteed money). Never was that more apparent that along the offensive line, where San Francisco signed Tim Barnes, Brandon Fusco, Andrew Gardner, and Garry Gilliam, the latter of whom was poached from the division-rival Seahawks in restricted free agency. None of those players is a superstar, and they may not all even make the Niners’ 53-man roster. But they’ll give the club some semblance of respectability up front — Fusco, notably, is now on track to start at right guard while Barnes could conceivably see time at center in place of Daniel Kilgore. Barnes, Fusco, and Gilliam combined to start 43 games in 2016.
Taking chances on cheap players was also a tactic for San Francisco on the defensive side of the ball (cornerback K’Waun Williams, defensive linemen Chris Jones and Leger Douzable), but the club also brought in a number of defenders who should definitely stick on the roster. The 49ers’ defensive line was specifically addressed, as the team signed defensive tackles Earl Mitchell and Sen’Derrick Marks plus edge rusher Elvis Dumervil. Mitchell should anchor the interior of San Francisco’s defensive front, playing the nose tackle role alongside three-technique DeForest Buckner, while Marks can offer a bit of pass rush on an interior rotation. Dumervil, though, is potentially the most interesting addition, as the 33-year-old came on in 2016 after returning from a foot injury — in the last five weeks of the season, Dumervil managed 22 total pressures (sixth among edge defenders), per Pro Football Focus.
