Notable Remaining Free Agents On Defense
As we noted yesterday when we examined the notable free agents still available on the offensive side of the ball, the first few weeks of 2014 free agency haven’t left the cupboards totally empty. There are still many intriguing players out there looking for work, and the best bargain signings of the offseason may be yet to come.
Since we published that piece, a pair of veteran safeties – Danieal Manning and Patrick Chung – have agreed to deals, while another (Rafael Bush) signed an offer sheet. Still, plenty of free agent defenders remain on the market. Let’s highlight a few of them….
Defensive Ends:
There are a handful of 2013 starters among the group of available defensive ends, but not all those starters are created equal. Jason Hunter and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, for instance, logged 600+ defensive snaps for their respective clubs last season, but both ranked in the bottom five qualified 4-3 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Meanwhile, longtime starters Will Smith and Anthony Spencer are recovering from an ACL tear and microfracture surgery, respectively, so betting on the two former Pro Bowlers to return to peak form in 2014 seems unwise.
Perhaps the most interesting name in this group is Brett Keisel, another former Pro Bowler who logged four sacks and modest PFF grades for the Steelers in 2013. He’ll turn 36 in September, which helps explain why he hasn’t found a new home yet, but he could still help fortify a defensive line, particularly in a part-time role.
Defensive Tackles:
After 11 seasons in Minnesota, which included five All-Pro nods, Kevin Williams doesn’t appear likely to continue his career with the Vikings, but he’s still an above-average run-stopper and could be a nice piece for a team in need of interior line help.
Among the other notable names at this position: A pair of ex-Packers in Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett, longtime Niner Isaac Sopoaga, and Colin Cole and Aubrayo Franklin, neither of whom were difference-makers last season in 300+ defensive snaps. Kyle Love is also worth keeping an eye on — after a couple solid seasons with the Patriots in 2011 and 2012, he was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes and cut by the team before the 2013 regular season. Love is a bounce-back candidate if he’s healthy.
Outside Linebackers:
Teams willing to roll the dice on a veteran who is past his prime but could still contribute have a couple solid options here in James Harrison and Will Witherspoon — neither player should be a full-time starter in 2014. Ernie Sims, Rocky McIntosh, and Michael Boley fall into a similar boat. They aren’t as old as Harrison or Witherspoon, but their resumés also aren’t as impressive, and their starting days are probably behind them.
Marvin Mitchell, James Anderson, and Stephen Nicholas are a few of the other players to watch here.
Inside Linebackers:
London Fletcher hasn’t 100% committed to retirement yet and considering he hasn’t missed a start since 2000, it’s probably best to keep him on the list of possibilities to be safe. However, he’ll turn 39 next month and doesn’t seem likely to play in 2014.
Age is also a concern for Paris Lenon, who turns 37 in November, and there will be questions about the health of veterans Larry Foote and Jonathan Vilma, who both spent most of the 2013 season on injured reserve. Throw in a torn MCL for Nick Barnett and off-field concerns for Erin Henderson, and there are certainly no slam dunks in this group. 27-year-old Pat Angerer may be the most appealing name here, but he’s certainly no beacon of good health himself.
Cornerbacks:
Champ Bailey doesn’t appear quite ready to change positions or retire quite yet, and the future Hall-of-Famer certainly represents the biggest name on the market. Still, there are a few other noteworthy veterans here: Jabari Greer, Quentin Jammer, Asante Samuel, Rashean Mathis, Drayton Florence, and Dunta Robinson are among them.
Corey Webster and Josh Wilson are among the other players on the market who have extensive starting experience, but my favorite potential bargain buy might be Terrell Thomas, who returned admirably from back-to-back torn ACLs in 2013.
Safeties:
Safety is perhaps the deepest defensive position in free agency, even after Manning, Chung, and Bush came off the market. According to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), Steve Gregory, Ed Reed, and Quintin Mikell had the best 2013 seasons among this group, but there are plenty of other longtime starters or players with upside here.
Thomas DeCoud, Reed Doughty, and Major Wright are reportedly drawing some interest this week. Meanwhile, Mike Adams, Yeremiah Bell, Michael Huff, and Jim Leonhard have a combined 341 NFL starts to their names, for clubs in search of veteran experience.
Patriots Sign Patrick Chung
FRIDAY, 12:50pm: Chung gets a one-year deal with a base salary of $740K, a $60K signing bonus, a $60K workout bonus, and $240K in per-game roster bonuses, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
THURSDAY, 12:54pm: The Patriots have officially signed Chung, the team announced today in a press release.
12:30pm: Following the Eagles’ release of Patrick Chung, the Patriots will bring the veteran safety back to New England, according to Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com. Curran tweets that Chung is re-signing with the Pats.
Chung, who was drafted 34th overall by the Patriots in 2009, spent four seasons in New England and started 30 games for the team, but never developed into the kind of impact player the Pats likely envisioned. The 26-year-old regressed further during his lone season in Philadelphia, placing 71st among 86 qualified safeties according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), and failing to grab an interception for the first time in his career. That prompted his release, which came on the first day of free agency last month.
Returning to the Patriots for his second stint with the team, Chung figures to start out in a reserve role, though he’ll likely be given the opportunity to compete for playing time this summer.
Steelers Sign Darrius Heyward-Bey
FRIDAY, 12:33pm: Heyward-Bey’s contract is a minimum salary benefit deal with a $65K signing bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
WEDNESDAY, 12:24pm: Former seventh overall pick Darrius Heyward-Bey has agreed to terms with the Steelers, who announced today that they have signed the free agent wideout to a one-year contract (Twitter link).
Heyward-Bey, 27, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders after the team grabbed him with its 2009 first-round pick. However, despite flashing some promise in Oakland, the Maryland product didn’t put up a 1,000-yard season during his stint with the team and scored just 11 total touchdowns in four years. Heyward-Bey joined the Colts in 2013, but didn’t make a huge impression in Indianapolis either, grabbing 29 passes for 309 yards and a TD.
For the Steelers, Heyward-Bey will have an opportunity to help fill the holes left by departing free agents Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. Pittsburgh also inked Lance Moore to a deal to help complement No. 1 receiver Antonio Brown.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Godfrey, Draft Visits
The Buccaneers, who agreed today to send Mike Williams to the Bills, talked to all 31 teams about a trade, but only had two clubs interested in a deal, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. As was the case with DeSean Jackson, potential off-field issues likely dissuaded many teams from getting involved, but unlike Jackson, Williams’ 2014 cap hit was extremely affordable, allowing the Bucs to get something for their diminished asset.
Here’s more on the Bucs and their division rivals in the NFC South:
- The Buccaneers will be in the market for receiving help now that Williams is gone, and the club has already started considering options, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, who tweets that the team took a look at longtime Titans receiver Lavelle Hawkins. Hawkins, who last played for the Chargers, had 47 receptions for Tennessee in 2011.
- With Thomas DeCoud visiting the Panthers, there are question marks about Charles Godfrey’s future with the team, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer details. Godfrey’s cap number jumps to $7.1MM in 2014, and he’s returning from an Achilles injury that sidelined him for most of last season.
- The Panthers and Saints will be hosting USC wideout Marqise Lee for pre-draft visits, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
- Alabama-Birmingham offensive tackle Kaycee Ike will have a private workout with the Falcons on April 15, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Redskins Re-Sign Rob Jackson
The Redskins have re-signed free agent linebacker Rob Jackson, the team announced today (Twitter link). Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link) first broke word of the new deal between the two sides.
Jackson, who started 14 games for the Redskins in 2012, returned to a reserve role last season, and will likely play a similar part for the team in 2014. The 28-year-old had 19 tackles, a pair of sacks, and an interception in 2013, and contributed a handful of special teams tackles as well.
Prior to agreeing to return to Washington, Jackson reportedly visited with the Raiders earlier in free agency.
Titans Release Chris Johnson
11:32am: The Titans have officially informed Johnson of his release, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
8:54am: ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link) has confirmed what was widely expected: The Titans will cut Chris Johnson today. As we noted earlier this morning, the veteran running back is in Tennessee today and his situation was expected to be resolved in the form of a release rather than a trade.
With $4MM in prorated bonus money remaining on Johnson’s deal, the club will carry that amount in dead money in 2014, unless the 28-year-old is designated as a post-June 1 cut. Even without that June 1 designation, the Titans will create $6MM in 2014 cap savings by clearing Johnson’s exorbitant base salary from their books.
Johnson, who has only missed one game in his six NFL seasons, has compiled at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of those seasons. In 2013, he posted 1,077 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns despite reportedly playing through a torn meniscus. Still, those yards were hard to come by — he graded out as the league’s 42nd-best running back out of 55 qualified players last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Dallas has been mentioned as a potential destination for Johnson, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets are also likely to be a primary suitor for the longtime Titan when his release is made official. New York pursued veteran backs like Donald Brown and Maurice Jones-Drew earlier in the free agent period, but came up empty in both instances. Johnson’s asking price may exceed what players like Brown and MJD were seeking, but CJ2K’s upside is arguably higher as well.
So far this offseason, backs have been hard-pressed to sign deals worth more than $3.5MM per year, so it’ll be interesting to see how Johnson does, especially since he’s coming off surgery to repair that meniscus and is hitting the market a few weeks late. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested earlier today that a contract which pays Johnson $8MM in year one, with an average annual value of $6MM, seems reasonable. But even that kind of offer may not be easy to find, considering how many teams have already addressed their backfields this offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills To Acquire Mike Williams From Bucs
The Bills and Buccaneers have agreed to a trade that will send wide receiver Mike Williams to Buffalo in exchange for a sixth-round pick, a league source tells James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), the deal is pending a physical.
We heard back in February that Williams’ future in Tampa Bay was uncertain due to a variety of off-field issues, and an incident last month in which the receiver was hospitalized after being stabbed by his brother only raised more questions. At the time, at least one report suggested that there would limited trade interest in Williams, making it possible that the team would release him at some point. However, it seems as if the Bucs were able to salvage something of value in the deal with the Bills — the sixth-rounder included in the swap will be the 185th overall pick next month.
Williams, a Buffalo native, saw his 2013 season cut short due to a torn hamstring, but flourished with the Bucs from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 64 receptions, 910 yards, and eight touchdowns per year. He’ll join a Bills receiving corps led by Steve Johnson, and will presumably be catching balls from E.J. Manuel in 2014, barring an unexpected change in Buffalo.
The Bills had been seeking receiving help throughout free agency, having been linked to DeSean Jackson and Kenny Britt, among others. Perhaps the team simply didn’t view those players as the right fit for the system, or wasn’t willing to match their asking prices. However, it’s also fair to wonder if it’s simpler for the Bills to trade for a player rather than to convince a free agent to commit to a long-term future in Buffalo, which isn’t one of the league’s perennial contenders or bigger markets.
While Williams is in the midst of a lucrative long-term contract, his 2014 base salary is only $1.2MM, to go along with a $600K workout bonus, so the acquisition represents a fairly inexpensive, low-risk pickup for the Bills. If things don’t work out this time around between Williams and Doug Marrone, his former coach at Syracuse, the team could cut ties with him without being on the hook for any dead money in 2015 or beyond.
As for the Bucs, Williams is the second big-name, big-money player the team has parted ways with this offseason, having previously cut Darrelle Revis. With Williams gone, Vincent Jackson will shoulder more responsibility as the team’s No. 1 receiver, and the position figures to become a greater priority for the club in the draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Titans, Wimbley, McClain
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt had high praise for quarterbacks Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst, but suggested that their presence wouldn’t stop the team from considering signal-callers in this year’s draft, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
“You always have to be prepared because you never know what can happen. If there is an opportunity in this draft where you have a guy you think is really good, then you have to look at it,” Whisenhunt said. “But more importantly you have to look at two or three years down the road. It is about finding out about these guys. And then, if you don’t have them on your team, you know about them. And if something happens down the road you’ll have an important piece.”
Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Zach Mettenberger are among the young QBs who have drawn some interest from Tennessee leading up to the draft. Here’s more on the Titans and a few other AFC clubs:
- The Titans have asked defensive end Kamerion Wimbley to take a pay cut, reports Wyatt (via Twitter). The Tennessean scribe has suggested for much of the offseason that Wimbley would be a fit for the team’s new defense, but not at his current $6MM base salary (and $7.8MM cap number). If the veteran isn’t interested in accepting a pay cut, the team may release him, tweets Wyatt.
- Two AFC East teams, the Bills and Jets, will host LSU receiver Odell Beckham for pre-draft visits next week, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
- Speaking to Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, former Ravens linebacker Rolando McClain says he’s preparing as if he’s going to return to the NFL in 2014.
Chris Johnson Resolution Expected Today
Earlier this week, agent Joel Segal suggested he thought Chris Johnson‘s time with the Titans was over, but didn’t know exactly when that would become official. It looks like Segal may have his answer. The running back himself tweeted last night that he’s en route to Tennessee for a Friday meeting with the team, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that the expectations is Johnson will take a physical before being released.
The Titans have been expected to part ways with Johnson for some time, but recent reports of trade interest created optimism that the 28-year-old could be moved rather than cut. As I pointed out yesterday, however, once those reports start to suggest that Johnson will be released if no trade partner is found, it becomes pretty tricky to extract anything of value for him in a deal.
If and when Johnson hits the free agent market, he’ll provide an interesting case for the value of running backs — so far this offseason, backs have been hard-pressed to sign deals worth more than $3.5MM per year. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that a contract which pays Johnson $8MM in year one, with an average annual value of $6MM, seems reasonable. But even that kind of offer may not be easy to find, considering how many teams have already fired their free agency bullets.
Lions Sign J.B. Shugarts
The Lions have signed free agent offensive lineman J.B. Shugarts to a contract, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract for Shugarts.
Since going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2012, Shugarts has signed deals with the Browns, Cowboys, and Jets. However, he has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game. He’ll likely be an offseason body for the Lions, with a chance to earn a roster spot.