South Notes: Jaguars, Saints, Titans, Bucs
The Jaguars will host Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster and Ohio State safety Malik Hooker later this week, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link). Jacksonville holds the fourth overall pick, but both Foster and Hooker seem like unlikely selections given the club’s recent draft picks (Myles Jack) and free agent additions (Tashaun Gipson, Barry Church). Still, the Jaguars are likely simply doing due diligence on the draft’s top prospects. Indeed, the club is also slated to meet with running back Dalvin Cook (Florida State), running back Leonard Fournette (LSU), edge rusher Myles Garrett (Texas A&M), and running back Joe Mixon (Oklahoma), as O’Halloran writes in a full piece.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions:
- Count the Saints among the clubs that may consider Mixon, as the controversial prospect met with New Orleans today, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate. While a number of teams, including New England and Miami have ruled out selecting Mixon due to an assault incident, the Saints are reportedly among the clubs “digging in” on the 20-year-old. In New Orleans, Mixon would pair with Mark Ingram to give the Saints a lethal running back combination.
- Missouri defensive end Charles Harris worked out for the Titans on Monday, as he detailed to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Harris is expected come off the board during the second half of the first round, and could conceivably be an option for Tennessee at pick No. 18. He put up 16 sacks over the past two seasons for the Tigers.
- The Buccaneers are hosting USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson on Monday, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Jackson, who ranks as Daniel Jermiah of NFL.com‘s 37th overall player, would give Tampa Bay another young defensive back after the team spent a first-round pick on Vernon Hargreaves in 2016. Also a dynamic returner, Jackson could augment a Buccaneers special teams unit that was below average on both kick and punt returns last year.
- While Chase Daniel had other proposals on the table, the longtime backup chose a reunion with the Saints in part because Drew Brees‘ contract expires after 2017, as Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com writes. “[Brees] could play until he’s 45 if he wanted to,” Daniel said. “And the way his contract is sort of set up, yeah, it’s the last year of his contract, but for me, I’d be crazy to say that didn’t play a little bit into effect to come here, to play behind Drew again, to learn this offense, to get noticed in this offense and to see where it takes me.” Daniel, however, only signed for a single season, as well.
Cowboys Meet With 21 NFL Draft Prospects
The Cowboys have now used more than two-thirds of their 30 allotted predraft visits, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), and Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News have provided the list of prospects with whom Dallas has met:
- Colorado CB Chidobe Awuzie
- Tennessee DE Derek Barnett
- Ohio DE Tarell Basham
- Ohio State CB Gareon Conley
- Oregon State DB Treston Decoud
- USC CB Adoree’ Jackson
- Washington CB Kevin King
- Villanova DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- USC JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Florida CB Teez Tabor
- Clemson CB Cordrea Tankersley
- Colorado S Tedric Thompson
- LSU CB Tre’Davious White
- Utah S Marcus Williams
- Florida CB Quincy Wilson
- Louisiana Tech S Xavier Woods
The Cowboys’ visits with Michigan DE Taco Charlton, UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley, UConn S Obi Melifonwu, UCLA CB Fabian Moreau, and Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt had all been previously reported.
Patriots Still Interested In Blount, Bolden
Although they’ve signed Rex Burkhead and taken a meeting with Adrian Peterson, the Patriots still have interest in re-signing LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
Blount, 30, hasn’t seen his market develop during the first month of free agency, as the only team that’s expressed any interest in him is the Seahawks, who were reportedly “monitoring” Blount before signing Eddie Lacy. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated earlier this week, it’s entirely possible New England’s hosting of Peterson was intended to send a message to Blount. Blount, who led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016, has negotiated with the Patriots since the free agent period opened, but the two sides couldn’t agree to terms.
Bolden, meanwhile, didn’t play much of an offensive role last season (one carry, four targets), and would likely see that burden reduced even further given the arrival of Burkhead in New England. Bolden’s primary role would remain in special teams, where he played nearly 60% of the Patriots snaps in 2016.
North Rumors: Browns, Ravens, M. Williams
Stockpiling draft assets has been a clear strategy for the Browns under their new regime, as Peter King of TheMMQB.com writes. After trading back several times in the 2016 draft, Cleveland is now armed with nine selections in the first five rounds of this year’s draft (and seven picks in the first four rounds of 2018). Acquiring more capital is all part of the rebuild orchestrated, in part, by chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta.
“We’ve looked ourselves in the mirror and said, ‘Do we think that we are actually superhuman when it comes to picking players?’” said DePodesta. “And we pretty easily answered that with a resounding no. So how are we going to increase our chances? We need to have more picks. So, if we have the same number of picks every year as everyone else, we don’t expect do better than anyone else.”
Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams will attend predraft visits with the Ravens, Browns, and Titans, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Williams is widely viewed as one of the draft’s top three wideout prospects, along with Washington’s John Ross and Western Michigan’s Corey Davis, and he’s also met with another WR-needy club — the Eagles — earlier this offseason. In January, a scout told Matt Miller of Bleacher Report that Williams favorably compares to Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green, and called him the “best player on the field” during the Alabama-Clemson Championship Game.
- The Ravens have scheduled a meeting with Temple linebacker Haason Reddick, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Reddick is capable of playing either inside or outside ‘backer, meaning he could step in next to C.J. Mosley in the middle of Baltimore’s defense, or help replace Elvis Dumervil on the edge. “Outside linebacker in a 3-4 system is most natural to me,” Reddick said at Temple’s Pro Day. “Because of the type of player I am, how fast I can learn the game, I know that if I’m put at inside linebacker I can be the best at that as well.” Reddick posted 9.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss in 2016.
- Although they recently inked free agent Latavius Murray, the Vikings may consider drafting a running back later this month, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. While Murray signed for three years, Minnesota can cut bait after 2017 with minimal dead money accelerating onto its cap. Fellow running back Jerick McKinnon, meanwhile, is scheduled to become a free agent in 2018. So far, the Vikings have met with Tennessee‘s Alvin Kamara and Oklahoma‘s Joe Mixon.
West Notes: Chargers, Rams, Lamp, 49ers
While the Chargers could conceivably use another interior offensive lineman, the club is expected to eschew free agent veterans such as Nick Mangold in favor of younger players such as Max Tuerk and Spencer Pulley, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. Tuerk, a 2016 third-round pick, didn’t see a single snap during his rookie campaign as he recovered from ACL surgery, but he could earn a starting role in 2017. Incumbent center Matt Slauson also has experience at guard, meaning Los Angeles has the option of deploying its interior lineman — a group that also includes veteran Chris Hairston — in numerous ways.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:
- The Rams will put Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp through a workout, tweets Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Lamp, a collegiate tackle who projects as a pro guard, has met with a multitude of clubs in recent weeks, and is now expected to be drafted somewhere in the 20s. NFL teams are apparently high on Lamp’s versatility, given that he should be able to play inside and out, and could even slide to center in a pinch. At present, the Rams’ projected starters on the inside are guards Rodger Saffold and Cody Wichmann and center Demetrius Rhaney. Los Angeles attempted to lure restricted free agent Ryan Groy earlier this offseason, but failed when the Bills matched its offer sheet.
- Linebacker Dekoda Watson‘s three-year deal with the 49ers is worth $5MM, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). The 2018 and 2019 seasons are team options, however, which would allow San Francisco to reap a compensatory pick if the options are declined. Watson will receive a $1MM signing bonus, and can earn $200K annually in per-game roster bonuses. Watson, 29, will likely stick to a special teams role with the 49ers.
- Although free agent linebacker Rey Maualuga recently took a visit with the Chiefs, no deal is imminent between the two parties. Maualuga, 30, was released by the Bengals last month after eight seasons in Cincinnati.
- In case you missed it, the 49ers agreed to a one-year deal with veteran running back Tim Hightower, who will serve as a backup to Carlos Hyde in 2017.
Patriots To Host Adrian Peterson
Free agent running back Adrian Peterson will meet with the Patriots on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Peterson, one of only four unsigned PFR Top 50 Free Agents, has been linked to a number of clubs this offseason, but he’s only met with the Seahawks thus far. In fact, most of the reports surrounding Peterson have involved teams who are not interested in signing him. Several rumored suitors – the Texans, Raiders, Giants – have shown little to no interest in Peterson since the Vikings declined his option in late February.
New England, meanwhile, has always loomed as a potential landing spot for Peterson, and the future Hall of Famer is reportedly open to accepting a discount in order to play for the Patriots. While the Pats have already added one free agent to their backfield this offseason (former Bengal Rex Burkhead), the club could still use another runner. LeGarrette Blount remains on the open market, so New England’s running back corps currently consists of Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White, and D.J. Foster.
Peterson, if signed, would be simply the latest high-profile addition for a Patriots team that is not resting on its laurels after winning the Super Bowl in February. New England has pulled off three trades — adding Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen, and Kony Ealy in the process — while inking free agents Stephon Gilmore, Dont’a Hightower, Lawrence Guy, and Duron Harmon.
5 Key Stories: 3/26/17 – 4/2/17
Viva Las Vegas. As expected, NFL owners approved the Raiders’ plan to relocate to Las Vegas by a tally of 31-1, with the Dolphins registering the only “no” vote. While the club is expected to remain in Oakland for the next two seasons, San Antonio has also been mentioned as a possible interim site. The Raiders’ new stadium is expected to cost $1.9MM billion, but the team secured a record $750MM in public money to put towards the effort.
Seahawks discussed Richard Sherman trade. While Pete Carroll admitted Seattle had listened on offers for Sherman, he indicated that no deal was likely to take place. One team which reportedly called on Sherman was the Patriots, who subsequently signed free agent Stephon Gilmore and are now presumably not interested in the Seahawks All Pro. Sherman, for his part, was comfortable with his name coming up.
Browns open to Josh Gordon return. Although nearly every report out of Cleveland has indicated the Browns are likely to trade or release Gordon if he’s reinstated, executive vice president Sashi Brown said last week that his club is willing to accept Gordon once again. “We’re not in position at wide receiver to turn down a guy like Josh if we feel he’s settled himself,” Brown said. Gordon, still only 25 years old, hasn’t played a full season since 2013, when he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards.
TV wants Tony Romo. Both CBS and FOX are thought to be courting Romo, who has yet to be either released or traded by the Cowboys. CBS, specifically, is willing to hand Romo its top commentator job, where he’d take the place of Phil Simms. Romo would slide into the network’s No. 1 broadcasting team, working with Jim Nantz on the week’s top game.
Eagles add a pair of veterans. In need of help both up front and in the secondary, Philadelphia inked defensive end Chris Long and cornerback Patrick Robinson last week, fortifying its defense with a duo that teems with experience. Long didn’t plan to re-sign with the Patriots as he searched for a larger role, while Robinson was cut by the Colts last month. Despite adding Long, the Eagles are still expected to target pass rushers in the draft.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants
Safeties aren’t a priority in Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli‘s scheme, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, which could help explain why Dallas didn’t seriously attempt to re-sign Barry Church or J.J. Wilcox. Church landed a four-year, $26MM deal with the Jaguars, while Wilcox inked a two-year, $6.5MM pact with the Buccaneers. Former first-round pick Byron Jones, meanwhile, is signed for two more years (plus a fifth-year option), and could be an interesting “case study” as Dallas will be forced to consider handing a hefty contract to a safety, per Archer.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- The Eagles hosted UConn safety Obi Melifonwu for a top-30 draft visit on Thursday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. At least seven other NFL teams have expressed interest in Melifonwu, who is expected to be drafted in the the first or second round. Philadelphia is set at safety for the immediate future, although veteran Malcolm Jenkins has reportedly been discussed in trade talks.
- Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham has “attracted the interest” of the Giants, and could be in the mix for New York when it picks at No. 23, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. While the Giants famously haven’t selected a first-round linebacker since 1984, the club needs reinforcements at the position, as Devon Kennard, Keenan Robinson, and Jonathan Casillas isn’t exactly a world-beating starting group. Earlier this year, a scout told Matt Miller of Bleacher Report that Cunningham “needs to gain strength” and “make more tackles.”
- Offensive lineman Byron Bell‘s one-year deal with the Cowboys has a base value of $2MM, reports Wilson (Twitter link). Bell, 28, will receive a $1MM base salary, a $250K signing bonus, and $300K in per-game roster bonuses. He can also earn another $450K through weight bonuses, which will immediately count on Dallas’ salary cap as likely-to-be-earned because they’re considered to be under the player’s control.
PFR Originals: 3/26/17 – 4/2/17
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- With rumors swirling that the Panthers would like to acquire the No. 2 overall pick from the 49ers, I examined what Carolina would have to sacrifice to move up to the top of Round 1. Using Chase Stuart of Football Perspective’s draft value chart, I worked out a trade that would see Carolina send the eighth selection, a second-rounder, and a fifth-rounder to San Francisco in exchange for No. 2, a fourth-rounder, and a seventh-rounder. The classic, Jimmy Johnson-devised value chart, however, would force the Panthers to ship much more to the Niners.
- An Indoor Football League team declined to sign Greg Hardy following a fan vote, leading Zach Links to ask if an NFL club should consider inking the controversial defensive end. Hardy, still only 28 years old, is an exceptionally talented player, but no team wants to touch him after his history of domestic violence (and his lack of accountability). Thus far, PFR readers agree with devotees of the Salt Lake City Screamers — more than 80% of respondents don’t think Hardy should land a contract.
Zach Brown To Visit Redskins
Zach Brown‘s free agent tour will continue, as the veteran linebacker will take a meeting with the Redskins on Monday, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Brown, one of only four PFR Top 50 free agents who remains unsigned, has been linked to several clubs over the past month, including the Raiders, Dolphins, Colts, and Bills. At one point, Brown was thought to be choosing between Oakland and Miami, but the Fins are now not expected to sign the 27-year-old. Reportedly looking for a multi-year pact in the $6MM range, Brown has yet to find a team willing to match that ask.
Washington, meanwhile, has two starting linebackers returning in the forms of Mason Foster and restricted free agent Will Compton, but Brown would be an upgrade on the latter. Compton ranked as only the No. 74 linebacker in the league last season, per Pro Football Focus, while Brown placed 17th.