Eagles, Chris Givens Agree To Terms
3:11pm: Givens’ one-year pact with the Eagles is worth $760K, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. That’s the minimum salary for a player with Givens’ NFL experience.
1:21pm: The Eagles have added a wide receiver to their roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve agreed to terms on a one-year deal for veteran free agent Chris Givens. After previously visiting the Jets, Givens had been in Philadelphia today to meet with the Eagles.
A Rams fourth-round pick in 2012, Givens previously caught passes from Sam Bradford in St. Louis, and will now reunite with Bradford in Philadelphia. The 26-year-old’s best season came in his rookie campaign, when he caught 42 balls for 698 yards and three touchdowns. In subsequent years, Givens saw his role reduced, until he was ultimately traded by the Rams to Baltimore last October.
For the Ravens, Givens appeared in 12 games, starting six. While he was targeted 53 times by Baltimore quarterbacks, Givens managed to haul in just 19 of those passes for 346 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles, who released Riley Cooper earlier this offseason will add Givens to a wide receiving corps that includes Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, and Josh Huff, among others. All three of those players have been day one or day two picks in the last two drafts, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Philadelphia won’t target the position again in this spring’s draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Release Karlos Dansby
1:48pm: The Browns have made Dansby’s release official, confirming the move in a press release.
12:10pm: The Browns have informed veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby that they will be releasing him, reports Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The news comes on the heels of Cleveland signing free agent inside linebacker Demario Davis to a two-year deal.
Dansby, a former second-round pick, signed a four-year, $24MM contract with Cleveland two years ago, and has started 28 games for the team since then. In 2015, he played all 16 games for the club, racking up 109 tackles, forcing three fumbles, and intercepting three passes, including two for touchdowns. Pro Football Focus ranked him 25th out of 97 qualified non-rush linebackers.
Dansby’s solid 2015 season makes his release a bit of a surprise, but there are several reasons Cleveland may be deciding to move on. The veteran linebacker will turn 35 later this year, and had been set to count for $6.5MM against the team’s cap in 2016. Releasing him will create $3.5MM in cap savings, and take the Browns off the hook for his $5MM salary.
Additionally, moving on from Dansby allow the Browns to go a little younger at the position. Defensive coordinator Ray Horton said last month that 23-year-old Christian Kirksey is “probably a starter for us,” as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets. Dansby’s and Kirskey’s strengths and weaknesses overlap somewhat, as PFF’s grades show — both players received very strong pass coverage grades and very poor marks for their run defense.
For his part, Dansby will be eligible to sign with a new team immediately once the move becomes official. He tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), “It’s time for me to go get a ring.” So expect him to target contending teams as he searches for his new NFL home.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Washington Re-Signs Josh LeRibeus
Washington has re-signed offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus to a new contract, the team announced today in press release. It’s a one-year deal worth about $1.5MM, a source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
LeRibeus, 26, was selected by Washington in the third round (71st overall) in the 2012 draft. The SMU product played in just 12 games, including one start, during his first three years in the NFL, but was thrust into action last season when starting center Kory Lichtensteiger missed a good chunk of the year due to a neck injury.
With Lichtensteiger expected to be healthy for the 2016 season, LeRibeus may return to a reserve role on Washington’s offensive line, as his relatively modest new contract suggests. But after playing more than 700 offensive snaps for the club last season, LeRibeus has some experience under the belt, and could compete for more playing time in camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Cowboys, Brooks, J. Reed, Suggs
After parting ways with the Falcons in January, Lionel Vital – Atlanta’s former director of player personnel – is joining the Cowboys‘ front office. As first reported by Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Dallas is hiring Vital as a senior personnel executive. He’ll report to Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay, a source tells David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- All indications are that Ahmad Brooks‘ spot on the 49ers‘ roster remains safe for at least another season, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The Niners don’t have an in-house replacement lined up at Brooks’ position, and his $8MM cap hit isn’t exorbitant now that San Francisco is carrying a league-high $58MM+ in cap room, per OverTheCap.com.
- Washington tight end Jordan Reed has completed his agent change, signing with Joel Segal for representation, per Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Reed is extension-eligible, and based on the deals recently signed by Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz, he appears to be in good position to cash in.
- Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs was charged with two misdemeanors related to a car accident earlier this month, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). TMZ first reported the news. Depending on how the case plays out, Suggs could eventually face NFL discipline.
- The NFL formally announced the performance-based pay bonuses for 2015 this week, and Broncos center Matt Paradis received the most additional pay (nearly $392K). The PBP bonuses are primarily distributed to players whose playing time was significant and whose salaries were not. The figures don’t affect teams’ salary caps.
Titans, Sean Spence Agree To Deal
The Titans have agreed to terms on a new contract for free agent linebacker Sean Spence, the team announced today (via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). It’ll be a one-year deal for Spence, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Pro Football Talk reports (via Twitter) that the pact is worth $2.5MM.
Spence, 27, was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2012 draft, but the former Miami Hurricane saw his first two NFL seasons wiped out by knee problems. While those health issues contributed to Spence never developing into the sort of impact player the Steelers may have initially hoped he’d become, Spence did appear in 31 games over the last two seasons, starting 13. In 2015, he recorded 35 tackles and a sack as a part-time player in Pittsburgh.
Prior to agreeing to sign with the Titans, Spence also visited the Jaguars and Dolphins. In Tennessee, he’ll join newcomers like DeMarco Murray, Rishard Matthews, Ben Jones, and Brice McCain, all of whom have been signed or traded for by the Titans this month.
Landing with the Titans also reunites Spence with Dick LeBeau, who was the defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh up until the 2014 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Sign Eric Weddle
WEDNESDAY, 11:54am: The Ravens have officially signed Weddle, according to the team’s Twitter account. Full details on the safety’s deal with the team can be found right here.
MONDAY, 12:32pm: Free agent safety Eric Weddle has made his decision, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, who reports that Weddle will be signing with the Ravens. The veteran defensive back had reportedly received offers from four teams.
“I couldn’t be more excited and pumped to be apart of a championship organization who wanted me from day one,” Weddle told Acee via text message.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Weddle’s new deal with Baltimore is worth $26MM over four years. Acee adds (via Twitter) that the deal includes $13MM in guarantees, and $9MM in year one. He also pegs the total value at $29MM, though that figure may include incentives.
Weddle, 31, spent the first nine years of his NFL career with the Chargers, who selected him in the second round of the 2007 draft. The ex-Utah standout appeared in 137 of a possible 144 regular-season games in San Diego, making 122 starts, piling up three Pro Bowl nods, five All-Pro bids, and 19 interceptions.
Weddle’s tenure with the Chargers was capped off by what was perhaps his most unusual year since entering the league. After being told by the team that his contract wouldn’t be extended prior to the season, the three-time Pro Bowler reported to camp and played well during the season, logging 76 tackles and six passes defended in 13 games.
While the contract situation was one point of contention between the two sides, the year ended on an even more acrimonious note, with the Chargers reportedly informing Weddle late in the season that he was being fined $10K for remaining on the field during halftime of a game to watch his daughter perform in a dance ceremony. Weddle and agent David Canter initially declined to go public about the fine, but the agent opened up after the Chargers placed the safety on IR in Week 17, a move that was made against his wishes. Per Canter, the team also informed Weddle that there would be no room for him to travel on the team plane to the regular season finale in Denver.
With Weddle and the Chargers set to part ways, the Raiders, Steelers, and Cowboys had been among the other teams to express interest in the safety. But he’ll take his talents to Baltimore, where he figures to start alongside Will Hill at safety.
It’s not yet clear what this means for Lardarius Webb — the veteran cornerback had been prepared to make a full-time change to safety this year, but there may not be a starting spot available for him. Webb could return to cornerback, or act as a depth piece at safety, but his $9.5MM cap hit would make him an expensive backup. The futures of players like Kendrick Lewis and Matt Elam are also somewhat uncertain, with Weddle now in the mix.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons’ Paul Worrilow Signs RFA Tender
Veteran linebacker Paul Worrilow has signed his restricted free agent tender from the Falcons, officially removing him from the free agent market, the team announced today (via Twitter). Worrilow received a second-round tender, worth $2.553MM.
Manning the middle of the Falcons’ defense, Worrilow has been the team’s leading tackler in his first three seasons in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent, who turns 26 in May, has averaged 122 tackles from 2013 to 2015, and grabbed the first two interceptions of his career in 2015.
Still, Pro Football Focus ranked Worrilow 80th out of 97 qualified linebackers, based on the site’s 2015 grades. PFF was particularly hard on Worrilow’s performance as a run defender, grading him a bit higher for his coverage and pass-rush skills. The Falcons recently brought in veteran free agent James Laurinaitis for a visit, so it seems the team is mulling other options at the middle linebacker spot, even after retaining the incumbent MLB.
Worrilow’s $2.5MM+ base salary for 2016 is non-guaranteed, but assuming he plays out the season on the deal, he’ll become eligible for unrestricted free agency next winter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos To Host Russell Okung For Visit
A new team has entered the Russell Okung sweepstakes, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who tweets that the free agent left tackle is traveling today to visit the Broncos. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Okung was expected to head to Denver to meet with the Super Bowl champs.
Okung, the highest-ranked player still available from our list of this year’s top free agents, has also received interest from the Giants and Lions, and is still mulling a return to the Seahawks. The former first-round pick had drawn interest from the Steelers as well, but Pittsburgh removed itself from the running for Okung by agreeing to sign free agent tackle Ryan Harris.
Of course, Harris was Denver’s left tackle a year ago, which is one reason the Broncos are potentially in the market for help at the position. The team has been attempting to negotiate a pay cut with veteran tackle Ryan Clady, who missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury. Okung’s visit could provide the Broncos with additional leverage in talks with Clady, and may give the club a Plan B if a deal can’t be reached with Clady.
Okung has two interesting wrinkles to his free agency situation. The 28-year-old underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in January, and is also representing himself, which is rather rare in the NFL. Okung’s decision to act as his own agent meant that he was barred from talking to every team except for the Seahawks during the legal tampering period, which is likely one reason why he has been on the market longer than anticipated.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Sign Demario Davis
10:57am: The Browns have officially confirmed their deal with Davis.
8:46am: The Browns and Davis have agreed to terms, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal confirms (via Twitter).
8:26am: The Browns are expected to sign linebacker Demario Davis, a source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). We had heard on Tuesday that Davis was in Cleveland paying a visit to the team.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides are working on finalizing an agreement. According to Mehta (via Twitter), Davis is expected to sign a two-year deal worth $8MM. Newsday’s Kimberley Martin adds (via Twitter) that it will include $4MM guaranteed.
Davis, 27, saw part-time action in his rookie season after being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the Jets, but started every game for the team since that year. In 2015, he totaled 89 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery.
Although Davis has been leaned on heavily by the Jets in recent years, Pro Football Focus suggested last month that it might not make sense for New York to re-sign him this offseason, pointing out that he had “struggled in all phases of the game, especially tackling the ball carrier.” The Jets will still have a hole to fill at inside linebacker beside David Harris though, with Erin Henderson also no longer under contract.
As for the Browns, with Karlos Dansby penciled in at one inside linebacker spot in Cleveland, Davis looks to be the favorite to take over the other one, assuming he gets a deal finalized, then beats out Christian Kirksey and others this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brandon LaFell To Visit Bengals
The Bengals will be hosting wide receiver Brandon LaFell on a free agent visit, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s the first update we’ve heard on LaFell since he was cut by the Patriots two weeks ago.
LaFell, 29, spent the first six weeks of the 2015 season on the PUP list due to a foot injury, and although he played in the rest of the Patriots’ games, he never looked quite right. For the season, he caught 37 balls for 515 yards, and failed to reach an end zone.
LaFell’s performance in 2015 represented a significant step down from his 2014 showing. He was a key part of New England’s Super Bowl team in that season, setting career highs with 74 receptions, 953 yards, and seven touchdowns. He added another two TDs in the postseason, including one in the Super Bowl.
If LaFell could even split the difference between his 2014 and 2015 campaigns, he’d represent a nice addition for the Bengals, who lost the second and third wideouts on their depth chart this month. The team still has A.J. Green, who is locked up through 2019, but Marvin Jones is now a Lion, while Mohamed Sanu landed with the Falcons. As such, Cincinnati is in the market for additional pass-catchers to complement Green and tight end Tyler Eifert.
No Bengals wide receiver besides Green, Jones, and Sanu caught more than two passes in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.