Washington Signs DL Kendall Reyes
10:47am: The deal is official, as Stephen Czarda of the team’s website writes.
10:24am: Reyes’ one-year deal with Washington has a value of $2.5MM, and can be worth up to $3.35MM with incentives, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
9:16am: Washington has added another piece to its defensive line, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who tweets that the team has agreed to terms with former Charger Kendall Reyes. It will be a one-year deal for Reyes, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Reyes, a second-round pick in 2012, has been a starter on San Diego’s defensive line for the last three seasons. The 26-year-old, an interior player, racked up 10.5 sacks during his first two years in the league, but his numbers have been more modest in recent seasons. In 2015, Reyes picked up a pair of sacks to go along with 32 tackles and his first career interception.
While the Chargers leaned on Reyes heavily during his four years with the club, Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance last season. PFF ranked the Connecticut product 120th out of 123 qualified interior defenders, assigning him the third-worst grade as a run defender among those players.
Nonetheless, Washington liked what it saw enough to bring Reyes in on a one-year deal. He’ll join Chris Baker, Stephen Paea, Ricky Jean-Francois, and Kedric Golston in a defensive line rotation that may not feature either Jason Hatcher or Terrance Knighton in 2016 — both veterans are currently free agents. Reyes also reunites with former Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry, who is now Washington’s defensive coordinator.
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FA Rumors: Steelers, Fitzpatrick, CBs, Chargers
The Steelers are exploring the possibility of adding some pass-rushing help in free agency, and have expressed interest in veteran defensive end Jason Jones, sources tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Jones is said to have a visit with the Dolphins scheduled for today.
Jones, 29, has been a full-time starter in Detroit for the last two seasons, picking up a total of 9.5 sacks in his last two seasons. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 43rd out of 110 qualified edge defenders, assigning him solid grades as both as a pass rusher and a run defender.
While Jones typically plays defensive end in a 4-3 system, Fowler suggests that the Steelers are intrigued by the possibility of Jones being able to rush from the outside and slide inside when necessary. Pittsburgh runs a 3-4 base, but defensive coordinator Keith Butler runs more 4-3 looks than you’d think, says Fowler.
As we wait to see what happens with Jones, here’s more on free agents around the NFL:
- The “staredown” between the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick is continuing today, according to Michael Silver of the NFL Network, who tweets that New York is considering other options. Silver confirms that the Broncos are pondering Fitzpatrick as a backup plan. We heard earlier today that the Browns and Rams don’t have real interest in the veteran QB.
- Prince Amukamara visiting the Jaguars could be the first domino to fall in the cornerback market, tweets Peter Schrager of FOX Sports. While most top free agents are off the board, there are still a handful of intriguing corners available, including Casey Hayward, Brandon Boykin, Brett Grimes, and Patrick Robinson.
- Having lost Ladarius Green to the Steelers, the Chargers are exploring the free agent market for tight ends, and will bring in James Hanna for a visit today, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Hanna, who has been a Cowboy for the last four seasons, is also reportedly on the Vikings’ radar.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, free agent tackle J’Marcus Webb said he has a visit set up with the Seahawks, but he also believes that the Raiders would like to re-sign him (Twitter link via Eddie Borsilli).
- After a heavy focus on skill positions on Thursday, the Patriots have linemen on the radar for today as they schedule free agent visits, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Falcons To Sign Sean Weatherspoon
More than two years after playing his last game for the Falcons, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is returning to Atlanta for the 2016 season. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) reports that the Falcons and Weatherspoon have agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
Weatherspoon, 28, originally entered the NFL as a Falcons first-round draft pick, joining the team as the 19th player selected in the 2010 draft. Over the next four seasons, Weatherspoon played 47 games for Atlanta — in 2011, he started all 16 games, racking up 125 tackles to go along with four sacks. In his final two seasons with the Falcons, however, he missed all but seven games due to an Achilles injury in 2014, and knee and foot issues in 2013.
The Cardinals signed Weatherspoon a year ago as a free agent, but the veteran linebacker didn’t play a major role in Arizona, earning just 159 defensive snaps. Another year removed from his Achilles injury, Weatherspoon will attempt to make an impact in 2016 for the Falcons.
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Dolphins Sign OT Jermon Bushrod
The Dolphins have signed free agent tackle Jermon Bushrod to a one-year deal, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Bushrod himself broke the news, posting a photo on Instagram of himself signing his new contract.
Bushrod, 31, was cut by the Bears last month with a failed physical designation. After suffering a concussion early in the 2015 season, Bushrod was later sidelined by a shoulder injury, which was reportedly the cause of his failed physical designation.
Although injuries woes limited him to 12 games (and four starts) last season, Bushrod had previously been a stalwart at left tackle for the Bears and the Saints. The former fourth-round pick started 62 games for the Saints from 2009 to 2012, earning two Pro Bowl nods. He then started 30 games for Chicago in 2013 and 2014.
The Dolphins believe Bushrod will be back to 100% health in time for training camp, according to Salguero, but given the veteran’s injury issues, it seems unlikely that the Dolphins are penciling him in as a starter. Still, Bushrod figures to push for playing time on a line that currently features tackles Branden Albert, Ja’Wuan James, and Sam Young. Both Albert and James were solid in 2015, so if they remain in the starting lineup for 2016, Bushrod will likely compete for either a starting guard job or the swing tackle role.
In other Dolphins news, the team signed another offensive lineman, guard Jacques McClendon (Twitter link). McClendon spent time in Miami in 2015, but didn’t see much action. The 28-year-old made three starts for the Jaguars in 2014. According to Salguero, the Dolphins may not make a bigger splash than McClendon on the free agent guard market, preferring to address the position in the draft.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins also confirmed (via Twitter) that they’ve officially restructured Byron Maxwell‘s contract, a move that was expected as part of the trade that sent the cornerback to Miami. Maxwell’s deal is expected to remained relatively unchanged for 2016, with alterations starting in 2017.
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Jets To Sign Khiry Robinson
7:10pm: Robinson gets a one-year, $1.175MM deal with $80K in guaranteed money, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
11:52am: Having entered the offeason with their top three running backs eligible for free agency, the Jets didn’t waste much time in replenishing their backfield. Having already struck deals with Matt Forte and Bilal Powell, New York has now agreed to sign former Saints running back Khiry Robinson, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Jets to re-sign Bilal Powell]
Robinson, 26, saw his 2015 campaign come to an early end when he suffered a broken leg in November, but he has been a steady contributor in New Orleans’ backfield since 2013, averaging 4.1 yards per carry on 186 total attempts. Nonetheless, the Saints opted not to tender him a contract prior to the new league year getting underway, making him an unrestricted free agent rather than an RFA.
For the Jets, Chris Ivory has signed with the Jaguars and Stevan Ridley may not be back, but the team has replaced them with Forte and Robinson, re-signing Powell. All three backs are capable of catching the ball out of the backfield in addition to carrying it, giving the team plenty of versatility in 2016.
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C.J. Anderson Signs Dolphins’ Offer Sheet
7:06pm: The Dolphins have confirmed Anderson has signed the offer sheet the organization extended to him, according to the team’s Twitter account.
Anderson told Klis he only sought a second-round tender from the Broncos, a protection measure that would have probably kept him in Denver.
“I’m super humbled,” Anderson told Klis. “All I was asking for was a second-round tender. That’s all I was expecting. And now I’m going to make way more than a second-round tender.”
The only running back left on the Broncos’ roster who was with the team as an active-roster player last season is Juwan Thompson. with 2015’s leading rusher, Ronnie Hillman, residing as a UFA. Anderson supplanted Hillman in the playoffs, however, as the Broncos’ primary ball-carrier and gained 234 rushing yards to Hillman’s 54.
4:30pm: The offer sheet is “pretty vanilla,” a source tells Mike Florio of PFT, which would infer that does not have a creative or tricky structure.
4:26pm: Anderson’s offer sheet with the Dolphins features a $5.25MM signing bonus, according to Klis. Klis’ report adds that the deal includes a total payout of $6MM in 2016 and a guaranteed $3.5MM base salary for 2017.
While those terms are somewhat front-loaded, it sounds like the cap hit for 2016 should be fairly modest, so the Broncos may not be out of the running quite yet.
3:50pm: Restricted free agent running back C.J. Anderson has signed an offer sheet from the Dolphins, reports Mike Klis of 9NEWS (via Twitter). It’s a four-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com adds (via Twitter) that it’s worth $18MM, and the structure is expected to make it hard on Denver to match it.
The Broncos have the right of first refusal on Anderson, so they’ll have five days to match the Dolphins’ offer and bring back their free agent running back. If Denver opts not to match the offer sheet, the Broncos won’t receive any compensation for losing Anderson, who received only the low-end RFA tender.
An undrafted free agent out of California in 2013, Anderson burst onto the scene during his sophomore season. He compiled 849 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 2014, and he added another 324 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air. Anderson only started six games in 2015, finishing with 720 yards and five scores on 152 attempts. Despite the up-and-down season, Anderson played a major part in Denver’s Super Bowl win, rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown in the championship game.
The Dolphins, whose new head coach Adam Gase was Anderson’s old offensive coordinator in Denver, are in the market for running back help after Lamar Miller agreed to sign with the Texans. If Miami ultimately lands Anderson, he’ll likely share the workload with Jay Ajayi in the Dolphins’ backfield.
The 49ers, Bears, and Patriots were also rumored to have interest in Anderson, once the Broncos decided not to give him a second-round tender.
Early indications were that the Broncos would likely match any offer sheet Anderson signed, but if Denver was unwilling to go from $1.671MM to $2.553MM on its tender to the running back, it seems feasible that a four-year, $18MM wouldn’t appeal to the team. If Anderson ultimately leaves the Broncos, he’ll be the latest in a string of departures this week. Brock Osweiler, Malik Jackson, and Danny Trevathan have all signed elsewhere.
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Saints Re-Sign Luke McCown
The Saints are bringing back Drew Brees‘ backup for the 2016 season, according to agent Mike McCartney, who tweets that his client, Luke McCown, has agreed to a two-year deal with New Orleans. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), the two-year pact is worth $3MM, with a $500K signing bonus.
McCown, 34, has been the No. 2 signal-caller in New Orleans for the last three seasons. After throwing just one pass in 2013 and 2014, McCown saw some action last season, making a spot start for Drew Brees. For the season, he completed 32 of 39 passes for 335 yards and an interception, then was sidelined in November with a back injury.
Coming off a minimum salary benefit contract, McCown will get a bit of a raise this year — perhaps due to that performance in place of Brees last season. The veteran signal-caller also paid a visit to the Colts today, so it’s possible that interest from Indianapolis forced the Saints to give their backup QB a bit of a raise.
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Sean Smith Signs With Raiders
6:01pm: Smith signed his Raiders contract, according to the team’s official Twitter account.
6:52am: The contract agreed to by Smith and the Raiders is worth $40MM over four years, with $20MM in guarantees, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
6:42am: The Raiders are set to make their third major free agent splash of the week, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that cornerback Sean Smith has agreed to terms with the club. If and when the two sides make it official, Smith will be leaving the Chiefs to join one of Kansas City’s division rivals.
[RELATED: Raiders agree to sign Bruce Irvin]
For the Raiders, Smith is the third free agent ranked inside our top 10 who has agreed to terms this week with the team. Oakland has also struck deals with offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele and outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, as the club takes advantage of its massive amount of cap room.
Smith, 28, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Miami before playing the last three seasons for the Chiefs. Although he’ll only be entering his age-29 season, the former second-round pick already has 100 career starts to his name, and he has been a steady presence in Kansas City in recent years. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 12th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, placing him right behind standouts like Chris Harris, Stephon Gilmore, and the recently franchised Josh Norman.
[RELATED: Raiders, Kelechi Osemele reach agreement]
Entering free agency, PFR ranked Smith as the ninth-best player available on the open market. Among cornerbacks, only Janoris Jenkins (fourth) ranked higher, and the Rams corner has since agreed to a five-year, $62.5MM contract with the Giants, setting the market for Smith. Since Jenkins is a little younger than Smith, the former Chief may not land quite as lucrative a contract, but he’s expected to do very well.
The 49ers were also believed to be in the running for Smith, with the Chiefs reportedly making a push to re-sign him on Tuesday night. However, the Raiders were frequently cited as perhaps the most aggressive suitor for the free agent corner, and it looks like they’re on the verge of officially adding him to their roster.
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Raiders Sign Kelechi Osemele
THURSDAY, 5:46pm: The Raiders announced (on Twitter) that it’s a done deal.
TUESDAY, 11:26am: Osemele will get a five-year deal that can be worth up to $60MM, according to Getlin (Twitter links). Getlin adds that the base value is $11.7MM per season, which works out to $58.5MM over five years.
9:58am: Osemele’s new contract will be worth more than $11MM annually and will make him one of the top five highest-paid offensive linemen in the NFL, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter)
9:12am: The Raiders are on track to sign one of the top offensive free agents on the market when the new league year begins on Wednesday, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that Oakland had reached an agreement in principle with offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele.
Osemele, 26, has been a starter on the Ravens’ offensive line since being selected by the team in the second round of the 2012 draft, earning playing time at right tackle, guard, and – most recently – left tackle. Although he has been slowed a little by injuries in recent years, missing multiple games in each of the last three seasons, Osemele has been a reliable performer on Baltimore’s line. Pro Football Focus ranked him 18th out of 77 qualified tackles in 2015, giving him the second-highest run-blocking grade at the position.
While the Ravens reportedly made a strong effort to bring Osemele back, their cap situation didn’t afford them nearly as much flexibility as the Raiders have. After a strong contract year, the Iowa State product looked poised to become at least the highest-paid guard in the NFL, and perhaps to be paid like a top-10 left tackle.
In fact, Getlin tweets that Osemele’s market was “incredibly hot” and that his deal will “blow the top off” the guard market. That price tag was likely too high for the Ravens and for the Vikings, who were also said to be pursuing Osemele. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Jets also dropped out of the running based on the lineman’s asking price.
Although the Raiders and Osemele have reached an agreement in principle, it’s worth reiterating that no teams can complete deals with outside free agents until Wednesday afternoon at 3:00pm central time. While most verbal agreements are completed at that time, we have seen deals fall apart during the legal tampering period in the past. A year ago, Frank Gore appeared headed to the Eagles before he signed with the Colts instead. Two years ago, the Raiders seemed on the verge of signing Rodger Saffold to a huge contract before concerns over his physical scuttled the deal.
Assuming the two sides do finalize the deal on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see how the Raiders plan to use Osemele. The team could slot him in at guard, but with left tackle Donald Penn eligible to hit the open market on Wednesday himself, Oakland has some flexibility when it comes to Osemele’s role. Their agreement with the ex-Raven may also give the Raiders some leverage in negotiations with Penn, whom they reportedly want to retain. Having entered the day armed with approximately $60MM in cap room, per OverTheCap.com, the club certainly has the flexibility to sign both players.
Osemele ranked fourth overall in our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.
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Cowboys, Tyrone Crawford Restructure Contract
The Cowboys have restructured the contract of defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford, opening up about $4.4MM in cap room, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). The move will help create some additional flexibility for Dallas as the team goes about its offseason business.
Crawford, who inked a new contract extension in September, was set to earn a fully guaranteed $6.75MM base salary in 2016. Instead, he’ll reduce that salary to $1.25MM, converting $5.5MM into a signing bonus. That bonus will be paid to him immediately, but will be spread out on the Cowboys’ cap for the next five seasons at a rate of $1.1MM annually.
While the move reduces Crawford’s 2016 cap number from $8.75MM to $4.35MM, it increases his cap charges in future seasons. From 2017 to 2020, Crawford will count for at least $9MM annually against the Cowboys’ cap, including $10.35MM in 2017.
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