Steelers Sign Adam Podlesh
The Steelers have signed free agent punter Adam Podlesh to a one-year contract, according to the team’s PR man, Burt Lauten (via Twitter). Podlesh himself broke word of the agreement this afternoon, tweeting: “Very excited to be part of the storied franchise that is #Steelernation, time to get to work in the black and gold!!”
Podlesh had been the Bears’ starting punter since the 2011 season, but had arguably his worst year as a pro in 2013 and was cut by Chicago in March. Last season, Podlesh averaged 40.6 yards per punt in 68 tries, the worst mark of his seven-year career, and his net average of 37.9 was the worst since his rookie season. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the 30-year-old ranked dead last out of 41 qualified punters in 2013.
Although Podlesh is coming off a down year, he may still end up being an improvement over the Steelers’ 2013 options. Zoltan Mesko and Mat McBriar handled punting duties for the team last season, and both placed near the bottom of PFF’s rankings, recording negative grades. Mesko and McBriar are currently unrestricted free agents.
Podlesh is expected to compete with Brad Wing, who signed a futures contract with Pittsburgh in January, for a roster spot.
Bears Waive Cheta Ozougwu
The Bears have cut defensive end Cheta Ozougwu, the team announced today (via Twitter). If no team puts in a waiver claim on Ozougwu, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent later this week.
Ozougwu, 25, was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by Houston, but never played in a regular-season game for the Texans. In two seasons with the Bears, Ozougwu appeared in nine total games, playing less than 100 total defensive snaps. He did, however, record his first career sack and forced fumble in 2013.
North Notes: Vikings, Browns, Bears, Lions
After working out for the Vikings on the weekend, Teddy Bridgewater visited with the team yesterday and is still there today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes that the Vikes are taking an extended look at the Louisville signal-caller. Bridgewater could very well still be on the board when Minnesota picks at No. 8.
Here’s more from out of the NFC and AFC North divisions:
- The Vikings and tight end Kyle Rudolph are said to have mutual interest in working out a long-term agreement to keep Rudolph in Minnesota, but the team has yet to approach the 24-year-old about an extension yet, as he tells Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
- Johnny Manziel‘s previously reported workout for the Browns is scheduled for this weekend, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- After meeting with the Texans today, Blake Bortles will have finished with his pre-draft visits and workouts, with the exception of a visit with the Browns next week, according to Caplan (Twitter links).
- Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will meet with the Bears this week, tweets Rapoport, adding that Clinton-Dix has also met with the Panthers and Falcons, among other teams. The Bears, meanwhile, have their eye on safeties, having already hosted Calvin Pryor.
- Rapoport passes along word of a couple more pre-draft visits, tweeting that Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard visited the Bengals today and yesterday, while Minnesota safety Brock Vereen visited the Steelers last week. The brother of Patriots running back Shane Vereen will also meet with the Vikings this week, says Rapoport (via Twitter).
- The Lions announced pre-draft visits for Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller, Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and Boston College kicker Nate Freese, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com details.
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune takes a look at Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix, who recently visited the Bears.
- Matthew Mulligan‘s one-year deal with the Bears is a minimum salary benefit contract, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Chris Pressley‘s one-year pact with the Browns falls into the same category, Wilson adds (via Twitter).
Josh Freeman Visiting Giants
TUESDAY, 1:01pm: It now appears that Flynn’s visit with the Giants may not be on the docket, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter links). There are a number of possible explanations for that — perhaps the Giants are close to an agreement with Freeman, or Flynn is close to signing with another team. It also could just be a matter of a visit coming at a later date.
MONDAY, 11:36am: Flynn is expected to work out for the Giants tomorrow as well, tweets Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network. Both free agent QBs will arrive in town today, and Caplan tweets that he gets the sense New York wants to add a veteran prior to training camp.
11:09am: Freeman’s visit with the Giants is scheduled for Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
FRIDAY, 11:15am: According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Freeman may work out for the Giants, though nothing has officially been set up yet. Vacchiano adds (via Twitter) that the team has also reached out to Flynn.
8:40am: Free agent quarterback Josh Freeman will work out for the Giants next week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, a source tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). With most potential backup signal-callers off the market, Freeman represents one of the more noteworthy names still available, along with Matt Flynn and Rex Grossman.
Freeman, 26, recently visited the Bears. However, even if Chicago saw a fit with the former Buccaneer, the team has yet to strike a deal to bring him aboard, so the QB’s free agency tour will continue. The Giants re-signed Curtis Painter a month ago and still have Ryan Nassib under contract to back up Eli Manning, but Manning opted this week to undergo surgery on a troublesome left ankle. Although the longtime Giants starter is expected to recover from that procedure in plenty of time for the season, it seems the club may be considering further insurance policies, just in case.
Freeman was Tampa Bay’s full-time starting quarterback from 2010 to 2012, but saw the wheels come off last year and was cut by the team. Freeman joined the Vikings and performed poorly in his lone start, though Mike Freeman says (via Twitter) that general managers feel like the former first-round pick was “thrown to [the] wolves” in Minnesota.
Ravens Links: Carr, QBs, RBs, Draft Visits
Joe Flacco is locked in as the Ravens’ long-term starter at quarterback, but the team seems to be making an effort to upgrade its backups, as Aaron Wilson details for the Baltimore Sun. Although Tyrod Taylor is currently the No. 2 option behind Flacco, the Ravens are keeping an eye on the free agent market, and Wilson believes that veteran signal-caller David Carr could be a good fit for the club. As Wilson writes, Carr knows Gary Kubiak‘s system, has been healthy and durable, and shouldn’t be expensive.
Let’s round up a few more Ravens items….
- Within that same piece, Wilson notes that the Ravens have hosted Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo and Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas on pre-draft visits. However, as the Sun scribe adds via Twitter, the team hasn’t scheduled any meetings or visits with Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage, one of the draft’s rising QB prospects.
- The urgency to draft a running back has never been lower for NFL teams, which is good news for the Ravens, writes Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. In Brown’s view, the team should be able to wait until the middle or late rounds to address the position, and could still end up with a solid player.
- Wake Forest wide receiver Michael Campanaro, who worked out for the Ravens on Monday, told Wilson that “it went awesome” and that he came away encouraged by the workout.
- Another player who participated in the Ravens’ local workout yesterday, Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle, is visiting the Raiders next, writes Wilson.
South Notes: Falcons, Bucs, Saints, Titans
ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure reported last Friday that Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews has a visit scheduled with the Falcons for the week of April 21, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets today that Matthews has already worked out for Atlanta. Considering the Falcons are very much in the market for help on the line on both sides of the ball, Matthews is certainly a player worth keeping an eye on for that No. 6 overall pick next month, and he seems to be drawing plenty of interest from the club.
Here’s more on the Falcons and a couple other South teams:
- The Falcons are hosting East Carolina tight end Justin Jones for a pre-draft visit today and Auburn edge defender Dee Ford later in the week. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post and D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have the respective details.
- Wilson also tweets that Utah State cornerback Nevin Lawson is visiting the Falcons today and tomorrow.
- Former Gators receiver and kick returner Solomon Patton is working out for the Buccaneers today, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Buccaneers and Saints are among the teams hosting sleeper Purdue tackle Kevin Pamphile for visits, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. According to Pauline, Pamphile is also visiting the Patriots, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Giants.
- The Titans had Eastern Illinois signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo in for a pre-draft visit yesterday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Poll: What Should Texans Do With No. 1 Pick?
The NFL draft is a little over three weeks away, but there’s still no consensus about what the Texans will – or should – do with the first overall pick. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, one of the most plugged-in Texans writers out there, has long insisted the team will draft a quarterback with that No. 1 pick, but in his most recent mock draft, McClain shifted gears and had Houston selecting defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Clowney will indeed be one of the players the Texans bring in this week, but quarterback is certainly an area of need for the club, and Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, and Johnny Manziel will all be in town this week as well. In addition to those options, the Texans are said to be giving real consideration to Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, who isn’t necessarily viewed as the top talent in the draft, but may be the best fit for the team, given its current holes.
Among the other probable top picks, tackles like Greg Robinson and Jake Matthews and wide receiver Sammy Watkins may not be favorites for that No. 1 spot, but we shouldn’t rule them out entirely. It’s also possible that Houston could trade the first overall pick. The team is reportedly open to the idea, and if there’s a club that covets a player like Clowney, it might be worthwhile for the Texans to move down a few spots and grab an extra pick or two.
This week’s visits may give us a stronger indication of the Texans’ plans for May 8, but for now, let’s hear what you think. Should the Texans draft a quarterback, a defender like Clowney or Mack, or trade the pick? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below.
Chris Johnson Visiting Jets
8:47am: Mehta tweets that he would be “very surprised” if the Jets don’t end up signing Johnson.
8:21am: We’ve been hearing since even before Chris Johnson was released by the Titans earlier this month that the Jets were expected to be a serious suitor for the veteran running back, and it appears as if New York will get the first chance to sign him. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Johnson is visiting the Jets today, according to team sources who spotted him at the club’s facility. Several other reporters have since confirmed that account.
Word of Johnson’s visit comes on the heels of a report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, which suggested that the Jets were one of a handful of teams still interested in the ex-Titan. New York reportedly views Johnson as a nice potential complement for incumbent running back Chris Ivory. Mehta adds (via Twitter) that three clubs, including the Jets, appear to be seriously in the mix for the 28-year-old at this point.
The former 2,000-yard rusher has now been on the market for more than a week, and the rumor mill has been relatively quiet. That may stem from the fact that Johnson, who earned $10MM last season, views his value significantly differently than the rest of the league. No free agent running backs this offseason received more than $3.5MM in guaranteed money.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated yesterday that Johnson may find a home within the next few days, since teams will soon be shifting all their attention to the draft and won’t want to continue negotiating with free agents leading up to May 8.
Four Teams Interested In Sidney Rice
8:17pm: Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer confirms (via Twitter) that the Panthers will make a run at Rice “if the price is right.” Echoing those sentiments, Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer writes that there are several hurdles standing in the way of a Rice-to-Carolina deal. Aside from Rice’s troubling injury history, Jones points out that the Panthers are only $1.57MM under the salary cap and will need roughly $4.5MM to sign their draft picks (the team is still exploring restructures with players already on the roster to clear some cap room). As such, Rice would be a fit in Carolina “only at a discount.”
3:25pm: Despite the Giants being identified as a club with interest in Rice, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com suggests (via Twitter) they’re “extreme long shots” to land the receiver.
2:45pm: Following a visit with Dr. James Andrews, free agent receiver Sidney Rice has received clearance to resume football activities, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Rice himself confirmed that news, via Twitter, later this afternoon. Now that the veteran receiver has been medically cleared, his market could develop quickly. Florio reports that the Seahawks have interest in bringing back Rice, but that at least three other NFC teams – the Saints, Giants, and Panthers – are also in the mix.
Rice, 27, has missed time with injuries in many of his NFL seasons, including 2013. He started all 16 games for the Seahawks in 2012, but finished the season with fairly modest numbers — 50 receptions, 748 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. While he may never again match the Pro Bowl numbers he posted in 2009 (83 catches, 1,312 yards), if he stays healthy and finds the right fit, the former second-round pick could still have a positive impact for an NFL team.
The Saints were identified last month as a likely suitor for Rice, and the Seahawks have reportedly had interest all along in bringing their former receiver back at a reduced rate. The Jets were also previously linked to Rice, but it seems as if they’re not seriously in the hunt at this point, perhaps because they’re focusing on the draft to further fortify their receiving corps.
AFC Notes: Mike Williams, Raiders, Texans
Shortly after acquiring him in a trade with the Buccaneers, the Bills have made some minor adjustments to Mike Williams‘ contract, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. Corry tweets that the deal is still worth $1.8MM for 2014, but that the base salary is now $1.6MM (from $1.2MM), while the workout bonus is now just $200K (from $600K). Since that ’14 base salary is guaranteed, the move looks like a vote of confidence from the Bills to their newest receiver.
Here’s more from around the AFC, with a focus on the draft:
- UCF quarterback Blake Bortles is in Oakland today meeting with the Raiders, and will move on to Houston after that visit to meet with the Texas tomorrow, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Oakland is also hosting Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack will also be visiting the Texans next week, as Houston explores all potential avenues for the first overall pick, says Rapoport (via Twitter).
- TCU cornerback Jason Verrett, who we noted earlier visited the Steelers today, also has visits lined up for next week with the Bengals and Jets, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Another cornerback, Oregon’s Terrance Mitchell, is also drawing interest from AFC teams, having staged a workout for the Colts and Raiders, writes Ross Jones of Fox Sports, who adds that Mitchell ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash.
- Former Indiana State running back Shakir Bell will take part in the Colts‘ local prospect day on Wednesday, tweets Tom James of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star.
- The Ravens have expressed interest in Morgan State cornerback Joe Rankin and were complimentary about his performance at their local prospect day, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.