Chris Chester Visiting Falcons, Eagles
Having been released by Washington earlier this week, veteran guard Chris Chester is drawing interest from multiple teams already, and has visits lined up with the Falcons and Eagles, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
As I noted when he was cut on Wednesday, while Chester wasn’t consistently above-average at the right guard spot in Washington, he wasn’t a major liability either. In 2014, the 32-year-old played the eighth-most offensive snaps among guards (1,091), and ranked 33rd among 78 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required).
The Falcons currently have Harland Gunn, who has made one career start, penciled in as a potential starter at one of their guard spots following the departure of Justin Blalock, so it makes sense that they’d at least kick the tires on Chester. Atlanta’s offensive line wasn’t one of the team’s strong spots last year, and the club didn’t address the position in the draft until the seventh round.
As for the Eagles, their line is more impressive on paper, but Evan Mathis‘ status remains up in the air. As Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes, there’s no guarantee that the two-time Pro Bowler even starts the regular season on Philadelphia’s roster, given the discord between Mathis and the team. Former Eagles right guard Todd Herremans also must be replaced this season.
AFC East Notes: Buchanan, Bills, Dolphins
Here’s a look at a few Friday items from out of the AFC East:
- The Bills are hosting free agent outside linebacker Michael Buchanan on a free agent visit today, the team confirmed in a press release. Buchanan hasn’t played much since being drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round in 2013, but he made the most of his limited playing time in his rookie year, picking up a pair of sacks and recovering a fumble. The 24-year-od was waived by the Pats earlier this month.
- With the Bills preparing to move forward on contract talks with All-Pro defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com examines different ways the team could clear 2016 cap space in order to better accommodate an extension for Dareus.
- After Chris Chester was released by Washington earlier this week, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald explains why he thinks the Dolphins should be seriously considering the idea of signing the veteran guard. Salguero also suggests monitoring the statuses of Evan Mathis and Zane Beadles, who could become trade or release candidates, if they aren’t already.
Poll: Will JPP Sign Long-Term Extension?
A year ago, the only franchise-tagged player who remained unsigned at this point in the offseason was Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who was in the midst of arguing that he should get a wide receiver’s salary rather than a tight end’s. Graham lost that battle and ultimately signed a long-term contract with the Saints just before the annual July 15 deadline.
This time around, four franchised players are still unsigned, and earlier this week, when I asked whether Justin Houston and Dez Bryant would sign multiyear deals with their respective teams by July 15, the majority of you voted that it won’t happen.
Today, we’ll shift our attention to a third franchised player, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Out of the four players who have yet to sign their tender, I would have expected JPP to be the most likely to have done so by now. After all, his one-year salary ($14.813MM) would be the highest of the bunch, and he’s arguably coming off the least productive season of the group.
That’s not to say Pierre-Paul didn’t have a strong 2014 campaign — he finished with 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, and was the league’s seventh-best 4-3 defensive end according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). Still, nine of those sacks came in the season’s last five games, and JPP wasn’t quite the destructive defensive force that a player like Houston was.
In my view, JPP’s high franchise salary, along with his modest career production, makes him the franchise-tagged player most likely to reach an accord with his team and avoid playing the season on a one-year deal. There’s been no sense of animosity between the two sides, and I doubt Pierre-Paul’s contract demands will be quite as significant as what some of the other franchised players may request. Conversely, the Giants may be more open to working out a multiyear contract than some other teams would be, since they’re already budgeting nearly $15MM for JPP in 2015.
What do you think? Do you agree that Pierre-Paul is more likely to sign a long-term deal by July 15, or do you think he – or the team – will drive a hard bargain, ultimately leading to JPP playing out his one-year tender?
Ryan Clady Tears ACL, Out For Year
FRIDAY, 11:27am: The Broncos didn’t wait long to determine that Clady’s season is officially over, placing him on injured reserve today, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The veteran tackle is on the books for a $9.5MM base salary in 2016, which doesn’t include any guarantees, so it’s possible that he’ll have to take a pay cut to remain with Denver next year, depending on how his recovery goes.
THURSDAY, 2:25pm: Speaking to reporters today, head coach Gary Kubiak said that the team won’t officially rule Clady out for the 2015 season quite yet, and that the short-term IR list could be an option. With Clady out, the initial plan is to leave Clark at right tackle, with Sambrailo and Schofield in the mix on the left side (Twitter links via Lindsay Jones of USA Today).
1:25pm: The man responsible for protecting Peyton Manning‘s blind side may miss the entire 2015 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter reports that Ryan Clady, Denver’s starting left tackle, tore his ACL during practice on Wednesday and will likely be sidelined for the year.
Clady, 28, has manned the left tackle spot for the Broncos since being drafted in the first round by the team in 2008. The veteran tackle has earned four Pro Bowl berths and two All-Pro nods, starting every game for Denver in every season except 2013, when he went down in September with a season-ending Lisfranc injury — Clady’s ACL tear figures to be his second season-ending injury in the last three years.
According to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), Clady didn’t rank among the league’s top tackles in 2014, with his -2.8 grade putting him in about the middle of the pack. Still, he logged 1,084 offensive snaps and allowed Peyton Manning to be sacked just twice, making him a steady and reliable presence on the Broncos’ offensive line.
With Clady out of action, the Broncos will be forced to find a replacement at yet another spot on their line, after making several changes to the group already this offseason. Orlando Franklin signed with the division-rival Chargers as a free agent, and Manuel Ramirez was sent to Detroit in a draft-day trade. Free agent signee Shelley Smith and trade acquisition Gino Gradkowski are expected to get the first opportunities to step into the starting lineup, though now another new starter will have to step up as well.
Right tackle Chris Clark shifted over to the left side when Clady went down two years ago, and could be asked to do so again in 2015. Michael Schofield, a 2014 third-round pick, and Ty Sambrailo, 2015’s second-rounder, are candidates to compete for playing time at either left or right tackle.
Broncos Sign Ryan Harris
FRIDAY, 8:25am: The Broncos have officially announced the Harris signing (via Twitter).
THURSDAY, 2:42pm: In the wake of news of Ryan Clady‘s torn ACL, the Broncos have moved quickly to secure some veteran depth, agreeing to terms with free agent tackle Ryan Harris, according to Adam Schefter and Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweeted earlier this afternoon that the club would likely show interest in Harris.
Harris, who turned 30 earlier this offseason, was originally selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2007 draft, and spent several seasons with the team before joining Gary Kubiak‘s Texans. So he has plenty of history with the Broncos’ organization and coaching staff. Most recently, Harris spent the 2014 season in Kansas City, where he started 15 games for the Chiefs.
Despite the fact that he hadn’t been a regular starter since 2010, Harris played reasonably well at right tackle for the Chiefs last season, ranking 38th out of 84 qualified tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). PFF graded Harris slightly better as a run blocker than a pass blocker in his 980 offensive snaps.
In Denver, Harris will join a group of offensive tackles competing for playing time on both the right and left sides of the line. With Clady sidelined, neither position is set in stone, and Harris figures to be in the mix along with Chris Clark, Michael Schofield, and Ty Sambrailo, among others.
Details of Harris’ contract have yet to be reported, but given how quickly it came together, and how late in the offseason it is, I’d expect a one-year, minimum salary pact.
Minor Moves: Thursday
Here are Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including the latest mid-to-late-round draft pick signings:
- As first tweeted by agent Mike McCartney, third-round tight end Tyler Kroft has signed his rookie contract with the Bengals. Per Over The Cap, Kroft’s four-year pact will be worth about $2.928MM, including a $648K signing bonus. First-round offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi is now the only Cincinnati draftee who remains unsigned.
- The Cowboys have also signed all their draft picks besides their first-rounder. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), the club locked up fourth-round linebacker Damien Wilson today, signing him to a four-year deal that features a signing bonus worth about $466K.
- The Jets have cut quarterback Matt Simms, the club announced today in a press release. Given the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, and Bryce Petty, there wasn’t much chance that Simms would make the Jets’ regular season roster. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link), Simms asked New York to release him and the team obliged.
- Former Oklahoma defensive back Julian Wilson, who signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent, was waived/injured by the team today after breaking his leg earlier this month, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. He’ll land on the injured reserve list, assuming he clears waivers.
- The Buccaneers made a slight change to the back of their 90-man roster today, signing kicker Brandon Bogotay and waiving center Ben Gottschalk, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
- Washington has added a pair of cornerbacks to its roster, signing Trey Wolfe and Tajh Hasson, per a team release. Hasson went undrafted this year out of UNLV, while Wolfe spent some time on Washington’s taxi squad in 2014.
Ravens To Sign Cassius Vaughn
4:35pm: Wilson has the details on Vaughn’s minimum salary deal, tweeting that it features a $50K 53-man roster bonus, and another $30K bonus if he plays at least 37% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps.
10:44am: The Ravens have added another veteran cornerback to their roster, agreeing to terms with Cassius Vaughn, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. According to Wilson, it’s a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract for Vaughn.
Vaughn, 27, has played for the Broncos, Colts, and Lions since making his NFL debut in 2010, appearing in a total of 67 games (23 starts). In 2014, he recorded 21 tackles, five passes defended, and two interceptions in 13 games (five starts) for Detroit.
The Ravens likely won’t be relying on Vaughn to play a major role, but he’ll make for a nice depth piece if the team endures as many injuries to its cornerbacks as it did a year ago. Jimmy Smith and Lardarius Webb, who were both hurt last season, are projected to be the starters, with another veteran free agent addition, Kyle Arrington, penciled in as Baltimore’s nickel back.
NFC North Notes: Peterson, Bennett, Lions
A day after releasing a statement indicating that he doesn’t want to be traded and that his absence from OTAs is simply about securing his future with the Vikings, Adrian Peterson took to Twitter to rant about NFL contracts. While many of the running back’s broader points – involving the lack of agency players have compared to teams when it comes to getting out of contracts – are accurate, it’s difficult to have any sympathy for Peterson, given the circumstances.
Peterson, after all, is poised to enter his age-30 season as the NFL’s highest-paid running back, and the Vikings appear entirely willing to pay him that $12.75MM salary rather than asking him to reduce it, despite the fact that the 30-year-old was investigated for child abuse last year. While many players could rightly gripe about teams failing to honor contracts, the rhetoric doesn’t sound very effective coming from Peterson right now.
Let’s check out a few more items from across the NFC North….
- Michael Johnson took a free agent visit to Minnesota to meet with the Vikings before he decided to return to Cincinnati this offseason. As Johnson told SiriusXM NFL Radio today (Twitter link), he didn’t think he’d like Minnesota, but he did — he simply preferred to “go home” instead of signing with the Vikes.
- Bears tight end Martellus Bennett continues to be absent from Chicago’s offseason program due to a contract dispute, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. A report last month suggested that Bennett wanted a new deal and that the Bears were considering trading him.
- Lions president Tom Lewand spoke to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press about the team’s increased focus on adding high-character players to its roster.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Idzik, Jags, S. Smith
In a Wednesday mailbag, a reader asked Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post why the Broncos didn’t make more of a push to sign La’el Collins. According to Renck, the lack of a resolution for Collins’ potential criminal case gave Denver pause during the draft — the team shied away from him in the seventh round more because of that uncertainty, not because of the lineman’s vow that he wouldn’t report if he was drafted on Day 3.
Once Collins became a free agent, he narrowed his choices rather quickly to teams with proven quarterbacks, coaches and line coaches. Denver offered all of those things, but Collins didn’t want to play in cold weather and wanted a team close to home, leading him to the Cowboys.
Of course, given today’s news on Ryan Clady‘s torn ACL, the Broncos may be regretting not rolling the dice on Collins with one of their seventh-round picks.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Former Jets general manager John Idzik, hired back in February as a consultant by the Jaguars, has been named to a full-time position of special assistant to the general manager, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “He’ll do a little bit of everything,” GM Dave Caldwell said of Idzik. “He’s a great cultural fit for us. He has a great understanding of the salary cap and the different ways to do a contract.” As O’Halloran writes, the Jags also promoted Chris Polian to director of player personnel and Chris Driggers to director of pro personnel.
- Ravens wideout Steve Smith said he didn’t really contemplate retiring after last season, but he knows he won’t play forever, or even until he’s 40, like Jerry Rice (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). Smith turned 36 earlier this month.
- Browns third-round running back Duke Johnson wasn’t in attendance when the team’s OTAs got underway this week. However, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, it’s because of a personal matter rather than anything contract-related. Johnson is the only one of Cleveland’s 12 draftees who remains unsigned.
- Titans running back Bishop Sankey was a bit of a disappointment in his rookie season, but the Titans are betting he’ll be better following some offseason strength training, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean writes.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Browns Re-Sign Ishmaa’ily Kitchen
Defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen has signed his restricted free agent tender from the Browns, meaning he is now officially under contract, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Kitchen’s signing means that only one RFA – Browns safety Tashaun Gipson – has yet to ink his deal.
Kitchen, who turns 27 next month, earned 279 defensive snaps for the Browns in 2014, making 27 tackles. While his play in the middle was unspectacular, the Kent State product was solid enough in his three years in Cleveland that the team felt comfortable tendering him a one-year contract offer worth $1.542MM. Kitchen will now be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2016.
When I provided an update on the remaining unsigned restricted free agents earlier this month, I noted that there was no indication that Kitchen was unhappy with his contract situation, and that he would likely sign his tender soon. The same can’t be said for Gipson, who isn’t at Cleveland’s OTAs and wants a long-term deal.