Jaguars To Release Roy Miller
The Jaguars will release defensive tackle Roy Miller, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
Miller, 29, won’t be part of a Jacksonville defensive line which has seen a good deal of change over the past several seasons. This week, the Jaguars signed former Cardinals defender Calais Campbell to a four-year, $60MM deal, marking the second time in as many years Jacksonville has nabbed one of free agency’s top interior players. In 2015, that lineman was Malik Jackson, who joined a front that now includes recent draft picks Dante Fowler Jr., Yannick Ngakoue, and Sheldon Day.
An eight-year NFL veteran, Miller had spent the past four seasons with the Jaguars, starting 49 games during that span. In 2016, Miller only managed to play in six contests before going down with a torn Achilles, an injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the year. Presumably, Miller is still recovering from that tear, meaning interested clubs will need to take a close look at his physical before inking him to a deal.
Miller had been signed through the 2018 campaign, and the Jaguars will now clear nearly $4MM in cap space by parting ways. Because all of Miller’s guaranteed money had been paid out, and because Jacksonville didn’t use an extravagant signing bonus, the club will only incur $200K in dead money. All told, the Jaguars now boast north of $60MM in cap room.
Miller becomes the second Jaguars defensive lineman to be released this week, as the club also cut Sen’Derrick Marks after first attempting to trade him.
T.J. Lang Down To Packers, Lions, Seahawks
Appearing on WXYZ-TV in Detroit today, free agent guard T.J. Lang said he’s narrowed his potential landing spots to the Packers, Lions, and Seahawks, tweets Brad Galli of WXYZ. Lang added he hopes to make a final decision by today.
The best guard remaining on the market, Lang may be in a position to garner as much as $10MM per year, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports recently reported. Green Bay has interest in retaining Lang, while the 29-year-old has already completed visits with Detroit and Seattle. The Seahawks fielded one of the worst (and cheapest) offensive lines in the league in 2016, and have added only Luke Joeckel thus far, while the Lions are searching for a Larry Warford replacement,
Lang, a former fourth-round selection, has spent the past eight seasons in Green Bay, having already agreed to one extension with the club back in 2012. A full-time starter since his third year in the league, Lang has appeared in 119 games (94 starts) during his Packers tenure. In 2016, Lang graded as the No. 8 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Falcons also expressed interest in Lang at one point, but as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported yesterday, Atlanta no longer believes it’s in the mix for Lang’s third contract. Additionally, Lang had a visit scheduled with the Broncos, but that did not end up materializing after Denver signed Ronald Leary to a four-year deal on the first day of free agency.
Colts Want Long-Term Deal With Dontari Poe
The Colts are meeting with defensive tackle Dontari Poe today, and while the club is willing to ink him to a long-term deal, Poe may be more open to a one-year pact, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Indy is “trying to get something done” in regards to a contract, Poe tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Poe will visit with the Falcons, Dolphins, and Raiders next, per Poe.
Given the reported level of interest in Poe — in addition the clubs listed above, the Jaguars and 49ers are eyeing the 26-year-old — he should be able to garner a multi-year contract, but if the structure and guarantees of the proposals he’s receiving are not to his liking, Poe could instead accept a one-year deal, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated earlier this week. Given league-wide lingering concerns about Poe’s back (an issue Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweeted about Thursday), Poe may want the opportunity to show he’s healthy before hitting the market again in 2018.
Poe served as a lane clogger in Kansas City but was a dynamo in terms of snaps played, logging more than any nose man during his rookie-deal tenure in Kansas City. But his sack totals decreased, plummeting from 10.5 between the 2013 and ’14 seasons (both Pro Bowl slates) to 2.5 combined in 2015 and ’16.
Brandon Williams set the market for true defensive tackles earlier this week, signing a hefty five-year, $52.5MM deal with the Ravens. Veteran Calais Campbell also scored on the open market, landing a $15MM annual salary on his four-year deal with Jacksonville.
Giants Not Done Adding Offensive Linemen
The Giants signed former Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker to one-year deal yesterday, but the club is still expected to add more pieces to its front five, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com details.
Fluker, who agreed to a pact worth roughly $3MM, is likely to remain at guard rather than shift back to tackle (where he began his career). But Fluker is not guaranteed a starting job, nor is any other Giants offensive lineman outside of Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, according to Raanan. New York is still considering where to play incumbent left tackle Ereck Flowers, leaving the rest of the line in flux.
Free agent guard John Jerry could return to Big Blue, as Raanan reports the “door is not believed to be closed” on a potential reunion. Jerry, 30, started all 16 games for the Giants last season, lining up at right guard. Elsewhere among internal free agents, New York has already seen Marshall Newhouse sign with Oakland, while Will Beatty is not expected to return, per Raanan.
As PFR’s list of the Top 2017 Offensive Free Agents shows, starting options remain unsigned on the open market. At tackle, Ryan Clady, Austin Pasztor, and Andre Smith are still on the board, while T.J. Lang, Jahri Evans, and Tim Lelito are up for grabs on the interior.
Eagles Want Fifth-Round Pick For Kendricks
Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks has reportedly been on the trade block dating back to the 2015 draft, but Philadelphia is now actively shopping him, and is looking for at least a fifth-round pick in exchange, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A Kendricks deal won’t save the Eagles all that much in cap space (just $1.8MM), but Philadelphia currently possesses the least amount of cap room in the league with fewer than $4MM in reserves. If the club is planing another signing during the free agent period, it could use the extra breathing room. The Eagles were also trying to deal linebacker Connor Barwin before ultimately releasing him, and are still attempting to unload center Jason Kelce, although they won’t do so simply to clear cap space.
Any team that acquires Kendricks will be on the hook for his 2017 $4.85MM base salary, $4.35MM of which became fully guaranteed this week. Kendricks, 26, is signed through the 2019 campaign thanks to an extension in August 2015. An acquiring club would take on cap charges of $5MM, $6MM, and $7MM in the next three seasons, respectively.
A full-time starter during his first four seasons with the Eagles, Kendricks was largely relegated to a reserve role in 2016, as he played on only a quarter of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps. In that span, he racked up 28 tackles and fumble recovery, and earned positive marks for his run defense and pass rushing ability from Pro Football Focus. Kendricks’ coverage grade of 47.7, however, was lacking.
Cordarrelle Patterson Meets With Bears
The Bears are reportedly making a push to sign free agent receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, and the club has now officially taken a visit with him, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Patterson is an excellent kick returner, but he has yet to do much as a receiver in the NFL. This past season, he set a new career high with 52 receptions, but he averaged just 8.7 yards per catch. The Bears might see Patterson as a late bloomer and they could find a gem in the former Viking if they can get him to clean up his route running.
Patterson, 26 later this month, has been breaking the hearts of fantasy owners for years. Last season, however, he earned a second career All-Pro nod by averaging 31.7 yards per kick return. For his career, he has averaged 30+ yards per kick return attempt (it’s a lot higher if you subtract his 2014 showing) and has five TDs off of returns over the last four years.
Patterson has also met with the Redskins and will visit with the Raiders, an meeting that will take place on Sunday, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Travaris Cadet Visits Jets
Free agent running back Travaris Cadet took a visit with the Jets today, the club announced in a press release.
Cadet, 28, has spent the majority of his career with the Saints, though he did have short stints with the 49ers and Patriots in 2015. Last year, Cadet settled back into his familiar passing down role, as he caught 41 balls from Drew Brees, managing 281 yards and four touchdowns in the process. Cadet wasn’t asked to carry the ball much, as he posted just four rushes for 19 yards.
Cadet has also spent a good deal of his career returning kicks, and that’s the role he would likely play with the Jets. With Matt Forte entrenched as the club’s starting back, and Bilal Powell the designated receiver, Cadet wouldn’t seem to have much of a niche on offense in New York.
Latavius Murray To Meet With Jags, Hawks
Free agent running back Latavius Murray will meet with the Jaguars on Monday and the Seahawks on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry in each of his two seasons as the Raiders’ primary starter, a post he ascended to late in the 2014 season. While he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016, Murray saw Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington eat into his workload. He surpassed 1,000 yards in 2015 but rushed for only 788 last season.
The Seahawks are looking for a veteran, durable running back to play alongside Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise. Jacksonville makes less sense as a potential destination, given that the club recently spent a second-round pick on T.J. Yeldon and signed Chris Ivory to a hefty free agent contract last offseason. Theoretically, the Jags could cut Ivory, but they’d incur more than $7MM in dead money by doing so.
Rams Pushing To Sign CB Kayvon Webster
The Rams will meet with free agent cornerback Kayvon Webster on Sunday, and Los Angeles is making a push to sign the 26-year-old, tweets Troy Renck of Denver7.
Webster entered the NFL as Denver’s third-round pick in 2013 and produced 59 tackles during his first two seasons. Phillips then came aboard in 2015, and Webster’s playing time dwindled during the coordinator’s two seasons at the helm of an excellent Broncos defense. Stuck behind Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby, among others, Webster played a meager 58 defensive snaps in 13 games last year. He saw far more action on special teams, where he participated in 253 snaps.
Despite Webster’s limited track record as a defender, teammates in Denver believe he’s capable of starting, notes Renck. At the very least, he’d find more playing time in Los Angeles. The Rams have a couple quality corners in the franchise-tagged Trumaine Johnson and slot man Lamarcus Joyner, though the former is a prime trade candidate. Even with those two in the fold, LA finished 2016 just 20th in the league in DVOA against the pass.
The Eagles and Dolphins have also shown interest in Webster this week.
Bears Sign Marcus Cooper
The Bears announced that they’ve signed free agent cornerback Marcus Cooper. It’s a three-year pact for Cooper, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Chicago was the third team known to be eyeing Cooper, as both the Jets and Steelers reportedly had interest in the 27-year-old defensive back. The Bears have already addressed their secondary this week, agreeing to terms with corner Prince Amukamara on a one-year deal, and inking veteran safety Quintin Demps to a three-year pact. Chicago can use all the help it can get in the back end, however, as safety Adrian Amos was the only sure starting-caliber player the club boasted coming into the offseason.
Initially arriving in Kansas City as a waiver claim, Cooper became an instant contributor for the 2013 Chiefs, intercepting three passes. But Cooper’s role slowly began to diminish in the years that followed. After starting 27 games between the ’13 and ’14 slates, Cooper seldom played on a 2015 Chiefs team that only used two cornerbacks in dime packages. Pro Football Focus, though, is less bullish on Cooper’s resurgence last season, slotting the now-27-year-old defender as its No. 101 full-time corner.
The Bears also re-signed cornerback Johnthan Banks to a one-year deal earlier today.