Rams Acquire No. 1 Pick From Titans
9:14am: After initially suggesting the Rams would likely grab Carson Wentz with the first overall pick (as noted below), Sam Farmer and Matt Miller have walked that back a little. Farmer tweets that he believes the Rams are leaning toward Wentz, but cautions that Jared Goff remains “heavily in the mix,” while Miller cites multiple sources who believe the Rams prefer Goff (video link).
Peter King tweets that the Rams “have not decided with certainty” which player they’ll take with that No. 1 overall selection, which seems somewhat hard to believe, given the haul the team gave up to land that pick. Presumably, the Rams at least have a pretty good idea which player they’ll be drafting.
8:04am: With two weeks to go until the 2016 draft gets underway, a new team will be on the clock to open day one. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter), the Titans have traded the first overall pick in the draft to the Rams. Tennessee has confirmed the swap.
According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Rams will get a fourth-round pick (No. 113) and sixth-round pick (No. 177) from Tennessee, in addition to the No. 1 overall pick.
In exchange, the Titans will receive the 15th overall pick this year, two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), and a third-round pick (No. 76). Tennessee will also get Los Angeles’ first-round pick and third-round pick in 2017.
Four years after the Rams landed a huge haul of draft picks when they sent the No. 2 overall pick – and the right to draft Robert Griffin – to Washington, Jeff Fisher‘s club is on the other side of a blockbuster deal that will likely allow the club to land a quarterback. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) suggest North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz is believed to be the top target for the Rams, though Cal’s Jared Goff also figures to be considered.
Fisher, GM Les Snead, and the Rams have insisted throughout the offseason that they’re comfortable with Case Keenum as their starting quarterback, and while Keenum may still get the opportunity to win that job, it seems the club has tacitly acknowledged that he’s probably not the long-term answer at the position. As for Nick Foles, he could end up falling to third on the Rams’ QB depth chart, or even fourth depending on how the team feels about Sean Mannion‘s development, which likely makes Foles a trade candidate.
The Titans, meanwhile, have indicated for weeks that they were open to moving down in the draft, with reports earlier this week suggesting they had one or two promising trade offers on the table. GM Jon Robinson also said earlier this month that he wouldn’t mind completing a deal sooner rather than later, to give his team plenty of time to map outs its new approach to the draft.
It’s hard to know which players will be available at No. 15, but the Titans have reportedly done plenty of homework on offensive tackles, and could be hoping to land someone like Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin. Still, with three second-round picks, Robinson and his team could go in a number of different directions.
While the deal will allow the Rams to make a huge splash as they make the move west to Los Angeles, it also shakes things up for other teams at the top of the draft. If the Browns want to take a quarterback, and the Rams prefer Wentz, Cleveland would presumably opt for Goff. And if the Rams and Browns do both go the QB route, that would allow top prospects at other positions, such as Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Ramsey, and Joey Bosa to all still be on the board beginning at No. 3.
Of course, if the Browns aren’t committed to taking a QB, and another club covets Goff, Cleveland could now receive increased trade interest in that No. 2 overall pick. Essentially, the blockbuster Rams/Titans swap blows up most mock drafts and creates a handful of new scenarios for day one of the draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Washington Signs Greg Toler
4:26pm: Washington has officially announced the deal, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
3:47pm: After hosting him for a visit today, Washington has agreed to sign cornerback Greg Toler to a one-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Mike Jones of the Washington Post first reported (via Twitter) that Toler was expected to sign with the club.
Toler, 31, was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft by the Cardinals, and spent the first four years of his NFL career in Arizona. Since 2013, he has been a Colt, starting 32 of the 34 regular-season games he played for the club, as well as four playoff contests.
In 2015, Toler failed to grab an interception for the first time in his career, recording 51 tackles and 10 passes defended in 10 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t fond of his performance, placing him 106th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks.
In D.C., Toler will be joining a Washington squad that projects to have Bashaud Breeland and Chris Culliver as its starting cornerbacks. Will Blackmon, Quinton Dunbar, Jeremy Harris, and Dashaun Phillips are among the other corners in the mix for the team.
For Toler, it’s also a reunion of sorts with former Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. After being fired by Indianapolis in January, Manusky headed to Washington, where he’ll coach the club’s outside linebackers in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: NFLPA, Ball, Mason, Spence
Earlier this week, an arbitrator ruled that the NFL’s policy of placing players who are under investigation on paid leave using the commissioner’s exempt list is valid, as Mark Maske of the Washington Post writes. The NFL Players Association had filed a grievance against the policy, which has affected players such as Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy, but the league scored a win over the union after having seen a handful of Roger Goodell‘s decisions overturned in court within the last couple years.
In the wake of the arbitrator’s ruling, optimism has “dimmed considerably” about the prospects of the NFL and NFLPA reaching a compromise on Goodell’s role in player discipline, writes Maske. Multiple sources tell Maske that there are no negotiations happening between the two sides regarding that issue at this point, with one source suggesting it may not be addressed until the next CBA: “We are where we are…. [It] seems like [there’s] nothing to talk about until 2020.”
As we wait to see what battle is next on the docket for the NFL and NFLPA, let’s check in on a few more odds and ends from around the NFL…
- A pair of running backs have been dealing with legal trouble this week, with free agent Montee Ball arrested for felony bail jumping and Rams back Tre Mason missing an arraignment related to his March arrest. WKOW’s Robyn Turner has the story on Ball, while Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com has the details on Mason.
- Eastern Kentucky pass rusher Noah Spence is visiting the Texans today and will visit the Saints tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Meanwhile, another potential first-round defender with some off-field question marks, Robert Nkemdiche of Ole Miss, has visits on tap with the Saints and Bengals, says Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com and Mike Sando of ESPN.com (Insider link) had similar ideas, with each scribe writing articles proposing trades that could take place before or during this year’s draft. Both Corry and Sando suggested hypothetical deals involving Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas, Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, and Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles.
- The NFL’s VP of football operations Merton Hanks has left the league office, multiple sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It’s not known if the NFL or Hanks made the final call on his departure, but one source tells PFT that the move was part of an effort by the league to upgrade in that area. Two other NFL employees, Joe Hurta and Russ Giglio, are out as well, says Florio.
Patriots Waive Dominique Easley
3:11pm: Easley’s knees are in “pretty bad shape,” a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com adds (via Twitter) that off-field issues factored into the Patriots’ decision to part ways with Easley.
2:57pm: As the Patriots prepare to enter the 2016 draft as the only NFL team without a first-round pick, the Pats have removed their 2014 first-round pick from their roster. According to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com, defensive lineman Dominique Easley has been waived by New England.
Easley, 24, was selected 29th overall in the 2014 draft by the Patriots, despite the fact that he was recovering from a torn ACL at the time. Although he made it back to the field for his rookie season, he was limited to just 11 games, and played in only 11 more in 2015, having been plagued by hip, knee, and ankle issues.
Before he landed on injured reserve in December of 2015, Easley picked up 15 tackles and two sacks in his sophomore NFL season, and received a solid Pro Football Focus grade. Given his decent play when he was healthy, his first-round pedigree, and the fact that he still has guaranteed money remaining on his contract, Easley’s release comes as a bit of a surprise, despite his injury woes.
Teams will have the opportunity to roll the dice on Easley and place a waiver claim on him before he becomes a free agent — a club that claims him off waivers would assume the final two years of his rookie contract. If Easley goes unclaimed, he would count for about $2.9MM against the Patriots’ cap in 2016, which is about $900K more than his cap hit would have been if he had remained on the team’s roster.
A Monday report indicated that Easley had hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Michael Katz of Rosenhaus Sports for representation, so it’s possible that he was aware of the Patriots’ decision well before today and was preparing for the possibility of hitting the open market.
Easley is the second 2014 first-rounder to be cut by his team this offseason. The other, of course, was former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals Exercise 2017 Option On Tyler Eifert
2:41pm: Eifert’s option for 2017 will be worth $4.782MM, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com.
2:09pm: The Bengals have exercised their option to extend Tyler Eifert‘s rookie contract through the 2017 season, the team announced today via its website. Eifert is the second first-round pick from 2013 to have his fifth-year option picked up, with the Saints having exercised Kenny Vaccaro‘s option earlier this week.
“We had very high expectations for Tyler when we drafted him, and he has met them all,” said head coach Marvin Lewis in a statement. “He’s a hugely important part of our team as we go forward.”
Eifert, 25, had a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod since entering the league as the 21st overall pick in 2013. After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, the Notre Dame alum hauled in 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 13 regular season contests last year.
Eifert may take on an even larger role in the Bengals’ passing game in the 2016 season, with secondary receivers Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones no longer in the mix. Cincinnati signed Brandon LaFell as a free agent to help complement Eifert and A.J. Green, and the team figures to address the wide receiver position in the draft as well, but Eifert may be in line for a career high in targets next season.
After playing out the fourth year of his rookie contract and his fifth-year option, Eifert will be eligible for unrestricted free agency – or the franchise tag – in 2018, unless the Bengals extend him before that.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Titans, Raiders, Vegas, Dolphins
While the defensive line doesn’t appear on the surface to be a glaring hole for the Titans, it may be more of a priority in the draft for the team than we think, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. One personnel man tells Kuharsky that Tennessee’s line has “no depth,” and given how deep this year’s draft class is at that spot, it makes sense that the team would use at least one of its picks on a defensive lineman.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has more details on the presentation Raiders owner Mark Davis is making in Las Vegas later this month. Per Velotta, Davis is appearing before the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on April 28th to address the proposed Vegas stadium. The committee will be tasked with determining whether to recommend the project for state funding. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report first reported on the meeting on Wednesday.
- Clemson defensive end Kevin Dodd, who recently visited the Seahawks, is paying a visit to the Dolphins today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins have shown plenty of interest in Clemson defenders this year, having done “significant work” on linebacker B.J. Goodson, who is also visiting the team.
- The Steelers have yet to make a decision on the fifth-year option of outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. Pittsburgh has until May 2nd to reach a verdict on the 2013 first-round pick. Last year, 12 of 32 selections did not get their options picked up.
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com explores whether or not it makes sense for the Bills to use an early- or mid-round pick on a quarterback in this year’s draft.
- Contrary to an ESPN report, Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon and former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel aren’t currently living together in Los Angeles, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
La Canfora’s Latest: Browns, Goff, Titans, Eagles
Earlier this week, we learned that a high-ranking official told Peter King of TheMMQB.com that he believes the Browns have their sights set on Jared Goff at the No. 2 overall pick, rather than fellow quarterback Carson Wentz. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com thinks the same thing, writing today that Cleveland offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton favors Goff.
According to La Canfora, many Browns scouts prefer Wentz to Goff, so the Browns’ front office and personnel department isn’t unanimous when it comes to a QB preference. But there’s some concern about Wentz’s lack of experience against high-level opposition, and a belief that the analytics favor Goff. So if the Browns do select a signal-caller with the second overall pick, which isn’t guaranteed, La Canfora believes it will be Goff.
La Canfora’s latest piece at CBSSports.com includes plenty of other noteworthy tidbits, so let’s dive in and round them up….
- The Titans have at least two trade offers on the table for the No. 1 overall pick that they consider “worthy starting points toward an eventual deal,” and La Canfora says rival teams expect GM Jon Robinson to eventually deal the pick. “They’ll market it up to the draft to get the best ransom they can, but they’ll move it,” said one executive for a team that has explored moving up. If the Titans do keep the first overall pick, La Canfora expects Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil to be the choice.
- The Eagles are “in love” with Ezekiel Elliott, and there’s a chance he’ll be Philadelphia’s pick at No. 8. La Canfora continues to believe the team’s interest in quarterbacks is a smokescreen, but notes that some executives think GM Howie Roseman is set on making a big splash on draft day, which could mean nabbing a QB.
- Scouts who have talked to La Canfora uniformly prefer Clemson’s Kevin Dodd to his teammate Shaq Lawson, and like Alabama’s Jarran Reed more than A’Shawn Robinson. “I really hope there are people in this league who like Robinson more than Reed,” one top evaluator said of the Crimson Tide duo. “That just makes it easier for us.” Robinson is viewed as a player whose stock is being overstated by mock drafts, as is Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple.
- Several teams, including the Chiefs, are very high on Louisiana Tech defensive lineman Vernon Butler, who is expected to be a first-round pick, per La Canfora.
- La Canfora expects TCU’s Josh Doctson to be the first wide receiver to come off the board.
- The Steelers are doing a lot of homework on cornerbacks, leading La Canfora to believe they’ll probably go in that direction in the first round.
Cowboys Sign Jeff Heath To Four-Year Deal
Restricted free agent Jeff Heath will be sticking with the Cowboys, as expected, but rather than simply signing his RFA tender, the veteran safety has agreed to a long-term deal with the club. According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, the Cowboys have signed Heath to a four-year contract, locking him up through the 2019 season.
An undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State, Heath started nine games during his first season with the Cowboys in 2013, compiling 60 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He has seen less time on defense in recent years, serving primarily as a special teams contributor, but he did grab a pair of INTs in his 206 defensive snaps in 2015.
Having spent three years in Dallas, Heath was eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, and the Cowboys tendered him a one-year offer worth $1.671MM. Had he signed that tender, he would have been on track to reach the open market in 2017, but his salary for 2016 would have been non-guaranteed.
Financial terms of Heath’s new four-year contract aren’t yet known, but there’s a good chance he exceeded that $1.671MM in guarantees alone, and his average annual salary may very well top that figure too.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jerraud Powers Visiting Cardinals
Still without a new contract for the 2016 season, free agent cornerback Jerraud Powers is checking in with a familiar team today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Powers is visiting Arizona. He has played for the Cardinals for the last three seasons.
Powers, 28, spent the first four years of his NFL career in Indianapolis before making the move to Arizona. Having started 82 of his 87 career regular-season games, the former third-round pick is one of the more accomplished cornerbacks still available on the free agent market.
In 2015, Powers started 13 games for the Cardinals, picking up an interception to go along with 50 tackles, nine passes defended, and a pair of fumble recoveries. However, Pro Football Focus wasn’t overly high on his play, ranking him 79th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, assigning him mediocre grades for both his pass coverage and run defense.
It’s not clear why Powers would need to make a visit to meet with the Cardinals, considering the team’s brain-trust hasn’t undergone any real changes this offseason. It’s possible that the club wants to get an idea of what sort of shape he’s in, perhaps conducting a physical, before making any decision on whether or not to bring him back.
During the legal tampering period earlier last month, Powers told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that he’d like to sign a three- or four-year deal, and hoped to join a title contender. While he visited the Giants during the free agent period, Powers didn’t see his market develop as he hoped, and is very unlikely to land a long-term contract at this point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Washington, Rams, Greenway, Giants
Although Washington didn’t have a ton of cap flexibility this offseason, the team could have made a bigger splash in free agency if GM Scot McCloughan had been interested in doing so. However, as John Keim of ESPN.com details, Washington’s players have faith in the front office and don’t mind the more patient approach to roster building.
“I’m excited about what he’s doing,” said Washington defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois. “I understand a lot of people say he didn’t bring in a lot of big names. You’ve got to know Scot McCloughan; he doesn’t like big name guys. As you can see with our [defensive backs], we got guys off the street and he brought them in and they did a wonderful job for us. I can only imagine what he’s going to do with the draft. I understand he [wants] 12 picks. I believe that first and second pick are up for grabs to get what he wants.”
As we wait to see what McCloughan has up his sleeve for draft day, let’s round up several more items from around the NFC….
- Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas will work out on Friday in Los Angeles for a Rams contingent that includes GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- The Vikings‘ new one-year deal with linebacker Chad Greenway is worth $2.75MM, with $750K in guaranteed money, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Ben Goessling of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that the guarantee comes in the form of a $400K roster bonus and a $350K guarantee on Greenway’s $2.3MM base salary.
- Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links) has the details on three recently signed Giants contracts, reporting that the deals for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, running back Bobby Rainey, and offensive tackle Byron Stingily are all one-year, minimum salary benefit pacts. Sheppard gets an $80K signing bonus, Rainey gets a $40K signing bonus (plus $40K in additional bonuses), and Stingily gets a $20K first-game, 53-man roster bonus.
- Maryland safety/corner Sean Davis will visit the Buccaneers next week, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Aaron Wilson had reported over the weekend that Davis met – or will meet – with over half the teams in the NFL.
- Aaron Wilson passes along word of a couple more pre-draft meetings, reporting (via Twitter) that Incarnate Word linebacker Myke Tavarres has a private workout this Friday with the Eagles, and tweeting that Sam Houston State punter Lachlan Edwards is privately working out for the Cardinals today.
Zach Links contributed to this post.