East Notes: Bills, Landry, Eagles, Biggers
So far this offseason, one noteworthy free agent – wide receiver Percy Harvin – has moved from the Jets to the Bills, following Rex Ryan to Buffalo. Now, Ryan and the Bills are considering bringing in another player who played in New York a year ago. According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), former Jets safety Dawan Landry is paying a visit to Buffalo.
The Jets don’t appear to have any interest in retaining Landry, but Pro Football Focus (subscription required) was fond of his 2014 performance, grading him as a top-10 safety in the NFL. We’ll have to see if the Bills have a spot for him in a secondary that has lost Jairus Byrd and Da’Norris Searcy in the last two offseasons.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:
- As the Eagles eye potential defensive backs, they’ll bring in former Washington cornerback E.J. Biggers for a visit today, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Biggers, who spent three seasons in Tampa Bay prior to his time in D.C., also has some experience at safety, a position of need for Philadelphia.
- James Walker of ESPN.com wonders if Josh Freeman has a chance to unseat Matt Moore as the Dolphins‘ No. 2 quarterback. As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweeted this morning, Freeman’s deal with Miami is a minimum salary pact with no guaranteed money, so it’s not as if the team has much invested in him.
- Richie Incognito is grateful to the Bills for giving him a second chance in the NFL, and told reporters on Monday that there were times when he didn’t think he’d have the opportunity to continue his playing career (Associated Press link via USA Today).
- Referring to the atmosphere at the Bills‘ facility, LeSean McCoy said there’s “more of a NFL type of feel,” as opposed to the “college feel” he’d experienced in Philadelphia during the last couple seasons, writes Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. The veteran running back also made some comments about Eagles head coach Chip Kelly yesterday.
Greg Jennings To Visit Dolphins
The Dolphins continue to eye free agent wideouts, and will bring another one in for a visit today, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. According to Salguero, former Viking Greg Jennings is paying a visit to the team.
The Dolphins are in the market for some veteran help at wideout after parting ways with Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Brandon Gibson via trade or release so far this offseason. The receiving corps is currently led by youngsters Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills, who have plenty of talent, but only three combined years of NFL experience between them.
Miami previously brought in veteran free agent Michael Crabtree for a visit, and there were conflicting reports on whether or not the team made him a contract offer in the neighborhood of $3MM. Either way, it doesn’t appear the ex-Niner will be joining the Dolphins, so perhaps Jennings will be a better fit.
If he reaches an agreement with Miami, Jennings would be replacing the player who replaced him in Minnesota — Jennings was released by the Vikings after they acquired Wallace from the Dolphins. The 31-year-old, who has been linked to the Panthers and Jaguars since becoming a free agent, caught just 59 balls for 742 yards during his final season in Minnesota, prompting the team to cut him just two years into a massive five-year contract.
Stevan Ridley Visiting Washington
As I noted last week when I examined the most notable free agents still available on the offensive side of the ball, former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley is one of the more intriguing players remaining on the market. While Ridley remains unsigned, he’s set to visit another potential suitor today, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the back is meeting with Washington.
Ridley, 26, is returning from a season-ending knee injury and appears unlikely to sign with the Patriots, with whom he has spent his first four NFL seasons. His best season in New England came in 2012, when he rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns as the team’s feature back. Fumbling problems, injuries, and Bill Belichick‘s habit of rotating running backs limited Ridley’s production over the last two seasons.
As he continues to recover from last year’s knee injury, Ridley appears to be taking his time in deciding on a new team, paying visits last week to the Dolphins and Jets. Potential suitors for the former third-round pick are likely using these visits as an opportunity to get a closer look at how that knee is healing.
While Alfred Morris is the clear-cut starter in Washington, and is one of the more productive running backs in the league, the club is in the market for some depth at the position after seeing Roy Helu depart in free agency last month. Helu was an effective pass-catcher and a solid third-down back, and Ridley doesn’t exactly fit that bill, having totaled just 23 career receptions. If Washington is seeking a third-down back, a player like Pierre Thomas, who has drawn interest from the club, might be a better fit.
Vikings Extend John Sullivan Through 2017
The Vikings have tacked on another year to the contract of center John Sullivan, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team extended Sullivan’s deal through the 2017 season. Per Yates, Sullivan’s new base salaries for the next three years are $7MM (2015), $5.5MM (2016), and $5.5MM (2017).
Sullivan, who will turn 30 in August, has been Minnesota’s full-time starting center since the 2009 season, missing only three games during that six-year stretch. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as one of the league’s better centers in 2014, with a +7.5 run-blocking grade buoying him to a 12th-place finish among 41 qualified players at the position.
Based on the figures reported by Yates, Sullivan appears to have received a pay raise for the next two seasons in addition to earning an extra year on his contract. His deal previously called for base salaries of $4.65MM in each of the next two seasons.
Cowboys Re-Sign Rolando McClain
MONDAY, 8:11pm: McClain’s base salary will be just $750K, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), who adds that the linebacker can get another $1.5MM via gameday active roster bonuses.
WEDNESDAY, 8:34am: The signing is now official, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
7:42am: After visiting the Patriots earlier this week and receiving a contract offer from New England, linebacker Rolando McClain has instead agreed to re-sign with the Cowboys on a one-year deal, reports Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Werder, it’ll be worth $3MM, with another $1MM available in playing-time incentives.
McClain, 25, recorded 87 tackles and a sack to go along with two interceptions in 13 games for the Cowboys in 2014. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the former first-round pick eighth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers, and he excelled in every aspect of the game — PFF’s grades placed him eighth as a pass rusher, seventh as a cover man, and 11th as a run defender, among inside linebackers.
Despite his impressive on-field showing, McClain still has some off-field question marks. He came back from retirement less than a year ago, and has failed multiple drug tests, making him a potential suspension risk. When I examined his free agent stock last week, I speculated that he may have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal like the ones signed by Nick Fairley and Terrance Knighton. I also noted that returning to Dallas might be the best fit for the veteran linebacker.
That third failed drug test means a four-game fine for McClain, so that penalty figures to come out of his game checks for the upcoming season. The ex-Raider has appealed the fine, but history suggests he doesn’t have a great chance of winning that appeal, barring extenuating circumstances.
The Cowboys’ linebacking corps will look much different in 2015 than it did a year ago, as regular contributors Justin Durant and Bruce Carter have signed elsewhere. McClain will be joined by incoming free agents Jasper Brinkley and Andrew Gachkar on the new-look unit. Sean Lee, who missed the 2014 campaign due to a torn ACL, will also be back in the mix.
McClain initially ranked 35th last month on my list of this year’s top 50 free agents. Only three players on that list – Michael Crabtree, Joe Barksdale, and Stefen Wisniewski – remain unsigned.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Michael Crabtree To Visit Raiders
MONDAY, 10:32am: The Raiders are hosting free agent receiver Crabtree today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
FRIDAY, 9:32am: After spending his entire NFL career with the 49ers, Michael Crabtree could be mulling the possibility of heading across the bay from San Francisco to Oakland. According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the free agent wideout has a visit scheduled next week with the Raiders.
Crabtree, 27, has only made one free agent visit so far, having met with the Dolphins, and appears to be in no rush to sign. The 49ers also maintain some interest in re-signing the six-year veteran, but a report last week indicated that Crabtree would rather sign with a team that places a greater emphasis on the passing game — it’s not clear if the Raiders will fit that bill, but Oakland certainly has the cap room to make Crabtree an aggressive offer if the team wants to bring him aboard.
The former 10th overall pick had reportedly been expecting to be a $9-10MM player, but his market “crashed” and he now appears likely to settle for a short-term, make-good contract rather than a longer-term deal.
The Raiders are viewed as a potential candidate to select a wide receiver – either Kevin White or Amari Cooper – in the first round of the draft later this month, and even if they signed Crabtree, I’m not sure that would change their plans. Oakland will likely retain both James Jones and Andre Holmes for the upcoming season, as well as tight end Mychal Rivera, but none of those players exceeded 700 receiving yards in 2014. Adding more weapons to Derek Carr‘s arsenal should only increase the young signal-caller’s chances to succeed.
Washington Acquires Dashon Goldson
2:55pm: The Bucs announced that the deal is now official, according to Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).
9:14am: A source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that the Bucs will pay the $4MM portion of Goldson’s 2015 salary which is fully guaranteed, which makes the deal a very minimal risk and investment for Washington.
9:06am: According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, who notes that $4MM of Goldson’s salary for 2015 is guaranteed, the safety’s contract was adjusted as part of the trade, though the specific details aren’t immediately clear (Twitter link).
8:50am: After contemplating releasing him, the Buccaneers have found a taker for veteran safety Dashon Goldson, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). According to Stroud, the Bucs have agreed to send Goldson to Washington for a 2016 draft pick. Albert Breer of the NFL Network clarifies (via Twitter) that Washington is giving up a 2016 sixth-rounder in the deal, while Tampa Bay is including a ’16 seventh-rounder along with the safety.
Goldson, 30, signed a massive five-year contract worth $47.5MM with the Bucs prior to the 2013 season, so he still has three years left on that deal. Because there was no signing bonus on that deal, Tampa Bay will avoid carrying any dead money on its cap by trading him. Washington, meanwhile, will take on the safety’s $7.5MM base salary for 2015, along with a $500K workout bonus, for a cap hit totaling $8MM. Goldson has cap numbers of $8MM for 2016 and $7.25MM in 2017.
When Goldson signed that lucrative five-year contract with the Bucs, he was coming off an All-Pro season in San Francisco. However, his production has slipped a little over the last two seasons, as he has battled injuries. In 2014, among 87 qualified safeties, only Ryan Clark performed worse than Goldson, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Goldson’s -14.5 pass coverage grade was dead last among safeties — per PFF, he allowed a 69.7% completion percentage and a 127.2 passer rating on throws into his coverage.
Of course, Clark is the player that Goldson is replacing in Washington, so even if the former Buc doesn’t bounce back in 2015, it could technically be an upgrade for the team. Assuming Goldson looks good in camp, he and free agent signee Jeron Johnson figure to be Washington’s new starting safety duo — if not, the club could release Goldson and turn to an in-house option such as Trent Robinson, or perhaps a draftee. Still, since $4MM of Goldson’s base salary is guaranteed, Washington has some financial incentive to make things work with him.
Current Washington general manager Scot McCloughan was a member of the 49ers’ front office when the team drafted Goldson back in 2007.
West Draft Notes: Rams, Raiders, Chiefs
The Rams are focusing heavily on offensive lineman as they use their 30 allotted pre-draft visits, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch observes. According to Thomas (Twitter links), Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’d be visiting the Rams, and Duke guard Laken Tomlinson visited the team earlier this week. Here’s more draft news out of the AFC and NFC West..
- Purdue tight end Gabe Holmes, who had a private workout last month with the Cardinals, paid a visit to the Raiders on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Holmes projects as a potential late-round pick or undrafted free agent.
- After being dismissed from Iowa State last year following charges for fifth-degree theft, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief, defensive lineman David Irving is visiting the Chiefs, Raiders, and Seahawks, a league source tells Wilson. According to Wilson, Irving previously worked out for the Bears, Patriots, and Giants, as well as the Chiefs, Raiders, and Seahawks.
- Miami of Ohio safety Harold Jones-Quartey is scheduled to visit the Chiefs next week, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Notable Free Agents Still Available: Offense
It has been 24 days since the 2015 free agent period officially got underway, and most of this year’s big names have come off the board within the last few weeks, if not before free agency formally opened. The remaining players available likely won’t command significant salaries or inspire massive bidding wars, but there are still players on the market capable of helping teams in 2015, including a number of noteworthy veterans.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the most notable names remaining at the offensive positions, featuring the latest updates on those players:
Quarterback: Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, Michael Vick
The Packers made it a priority to re-sign one of Aaron Rodgers‘ backups (Scott Tolzien), but don’t appear to have interest in bringing back Flynn as well. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, on the other hand, very much wants to lock up his veteran backup, indicating multiple times – including yesterday – that he hopes Seattle can re-sign Jackson. As for Vick, he hasn’t found his way onto the pages of PFR at all in the last few weeks, suggesting there’s little interest in his services.
Running back: Ahmad Bradshaw, Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson, Stevan Ridley, Pierre Thomas
Of this group, Ridley appears to be the most likely to land a new deal quickly. The former Pats back is making the AFC East tour, having visited the Dolphins and Jets this week, and will probably make a decision soon, assuming he has offers on the table. Thomas has reportedly received interest from more than one team, most recently drawing some attention from Washington. However, veterans Bradshaw, Jackson, and Johnson have barely been mentioned at all since we heard that Johnson was shot last month.
Wide receiver: Michael Crabtree, Greg Jennings, Denarius Moore, Hakeem Nicks, Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker
Crabtree is perhaps the most intriguing name still on the board. He appears to have misjudged his market, and is now waiting for the right opportunity to arise, with a visit to Oakland on his schedule. Jennings tweeted last week that he was nearing the end of the free agent process, but perhaps that was just a setup for his April Fool’s gag, in which he pretended to announce his new team — there hasn’t been any word on him since, though he has been linked to the Panthers, Jaguars, and Dolphins. Welker doesn’t seem to be generating any interest from teams, and looks like a candidate for retirement, but that’s not the case for Wayne, who says he has received inquiries from multiple teams. Nicks recently visited the 49ers, while Moore paid a visit to the Bengals.
Tight end: James Casey, Jermaine Gresham, Rob Housler
Casey hit the open market early after being cut by the Eagles, and seemed to be a hot commodity at that point, but that early buzz hasn’t resulted in a deal — we haven’t heard anything on him since February. Gresham would likely be under contract with a team by now if not for an offseason surgery on his back. He figures to find a deal at some point, perhaps from the Raiders, who expressed early interest. Meanwhile, Housler has been linked to the Bengals, Ravens, Browns, and Falcons, but remains unsigned.
Tackle: Joe Barksdale, Byron Bell, Anthony Collins, Ryan Harris, Jake Long
Since they were released, Bell, Collins, and Long haven’t been the subject of many rumors, though we know the Panthers won’t re-sign Bell and the Rams haven’t ruled out bringing back Long. Things have also been quiet on the Harris front, with the last update coming on the first day of free agency, when we learned that the Chiefs were open to a reunion. Barksdale is the top option among this group, and I’d expect him to sign relatively soon. As our Dallas Robinson noted in his look at Barksdale’s free agent stock, the tackle’s asking price has come down since free agency began. The Titans and Rams are in the mix.
Interior offensive line: Justin Blalock, Dan Connolly, Brian De La Puente, Roberto Garza, Stefen Wisniewski
Blalock has drawn interest from the Lions, Rams, and Titans since being released by Atlanta, and took a visit to Detroit, but no deal appears to be imminent. De La Puente and Garza are a pair of veteran centers who can still be productive, but it’s not clear yet what teams might be interested — to be fair, Garza was only released yesterday, so it’s no surprise that a market hasn’t developed yet. Connolly paid a visit to the Bucs yesterday, and has reportedly received interest from the Seahawks, Bears, and Dolphins in addition to his longtime team, the Patriots. Wisniewski, who was on our top 50 free agents list, has seen his market develop slowly after he underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, but he did visit the Patriots and Jaguars this week after meeting with the Seahawks and Bucs earlier in free agency.
South Notes: Brees, Fowler, Jags, Bucs
In an interview with WWL radio in New Orleans on Thursday, quarterback Drew Brees said he intends to retire with the Saints, and dismissed any speculation about potential trade talks involving him.
“I have a close enough relationship with everybody within the Saints organization that if something was going on, I would have heard about it from them,” Brees said. “If there was any seriousness, you know, reality (to the rumors), that would be discussed. Anything that I hear or get wind of is typically false. False reports.”
Of course, the reports Brees calls “false” never really existed. Some columnists wrote speculative articles about the possibility of quarterback-needy teams checking in on Brees while the Saints were seemingly making everyone available, but at least one report suggested the quarterback was one of the only players the team was not shopping. Nonetheless, GM Mickey Loomis, head coach Sean Payton, and Brees himself have all felt the need to shoot down that speculation.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:
- Asked about upcoming pre-draft meetings, Florida pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. says he has visits lined up with the Jaguars and Titans, writes Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com. Fowler is considered one of the top pass rushers in the draft, and projects as a potential top-five pick — Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN recently expressed confidence that Fowler will go third overall to Jacksonville.
- Center Stefen Wisniewski left his visit with the Jaguars without a deal in place, but head coach Gus Bradley said the team will “have more conversations about him,” per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Bradley also said that, while the team is keeping its options open in regard to adding a fullback, it’s conceivable that Jacksonville starts the season with four tight ends and no fullbacks on its roster.
- We can add linebacker Larry Dean to the list of free agents to visit the Buccaneers this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Guard Dan Connolly, wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan, and defensive end George Johnson are among the other players who recently paid a visit to Tampa Bay.