Five Teams Interested In Phillip Dorsett
Free-agent wideout Phillip Dorsett tells ESPN’s Josina Anderson that the Jets, Seahawks, Chargers, 49ers, and Raiders have all shown preliminary interest in his services. Dorsett added, “I just want to come in and have a great opportunity to play and showcase how I can really flourish as a player.”
While Dorsett has never lived up to the expectations placed upon a first-round pick (the Colts selected Dorsett with the 29th overall pick in 2015), he has consistently been a healthy pass-catching depth option over his five-year career.
Dorsett was most productive in 2016. Appearing in 15 games with a career-high 7 starts, Dorsett caught 33 receptions for 528 yards and 2 touchdowns with the Colts. Indianapolis shipped Dorsett to the Patriots the following offseason in a trade for quarterback Jacoby Brissett. In New England over the past three seasons, Dorsett was a decently productive depth piece, accruing 73 receptions for 881 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Of course, the Patriots struggles to find legitimate options at wide receiver over the past few seasons have been well documented. Yet even amidst the dire straights, Dorsett was never able to emerge as a top option. Still, given his long history as a sturdy player, it’s no surprise that many teams remain interested in his services.
Clayton Fejedelem Joins Miami
While it’s far from the biggest news in the Dolphins secondary, Miami agreed to terms with safety and core special-teams player Clayton Fejedelem on a three-year deal worth up to $8.55MM ($3MM guarantees), according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
The Bengals selected Fejedelem in the seventh round of the 2016 Draft and has appeared in every game for Cincinnati in the four seasons since. While he started five games at safety in 2017 and nabbed an interception and a pair of passes defended, the bulk of his work has come on special teams.
Over his career, Fejedelem has made 77 solo tackles, forced one fumble, recovered two fumbles, and scored one touchdown. The Dolphins amidst a major rebuild are flush with cap space and are clearly targetting specific players. Fejedelem’s addition will not transform the franchise, but it will add a solid contributor to a team flush with young talent, assets, and a long-term plan.
G Wes Schweitzer Heading To Washington
Free-agent offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer has agreed to a three-year deal with Washington worth up to $13.5MM, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Schweitzer played with the Falcons for the first four years of his career before entering free agency.
With experience at all three spots along the interior offensive line in Atlanta, Schweitzer at the very least can serve as a useful swiss-army knife. After not appearing in a game as a rookie, Schweitzer started every game of the 2017 season at right guard for the Falcons, in 2018, he served as the teams primary starter at left guard, and last season, while primarily playing left guard, he still played over 20 percent of his snaps at right guard.
Washington placed the franchise tag on guard Brandon Scherff, but the size of Schweitzer’s role may very well be determined by the fallout of Scherff’s future in the nation’s capital.
Raiders Still In On Tom Brady, Not The Favorite
Over the past couple of days, the options available to free-agent quarterback Tom Brady have become clearer. After reports emerged that the 49ers are not pursuing Brady and the Titans resigned Ryan Tannehill, two of the most speculated destinations are no longer on the table. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders are not totally out of the Brady sweepstakes but are behind the Buccaneers in their pursuit.
Of course, it remains unknown how Brady feels about a reunion with the only organization he has ever played for. Brady has already etched himself into football’s Mt. Rushmore over his 20-year career with the Patriots. If the Patriots, Bucs, and Raiders are the only suitors for Brady, the Patriots are the only team that made the playoffs last season and would seem to clearly be the best option for Brady if he is prioritizing winning.
Still, Brady’s priorities (and sentiments towards the Patriots organization) remain a mystery. While the Buccaneers quarterback last season, Jameis Winston, like Brady, is a free-agent, the move would be a bit more complicated for the Raiders who have Derek Carr under contract through 2022 with a $21.5MM cap hit. However, Carr’s deal has plenty of cap flexibility and could easily be moved for assets if Brady did choose the Raiders.
Broncos Sign Graham Glasgow
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos have signed offensive lineman Graham Glasgow to a four-year, $44MM contract, which includes $26MM in guarantees. Glasgow has been a valuable starter on the interior of the Lions offensive line since he was drafted in 2016. Detroit will now have to replace one of their most consistent contributors.
Glasgow has played both guard spots and at center during his tenure in Motown, but primarily lined up at right guard last season (in 788 of his 872 snaps, per Pro Football Focus). The $11MM annual value of Glasgow’s contract would rank just outside the top-five for the right guard position, just behind Trai Turner and tied with Gabe Jackson. According to PFF’s player grades, Glasgow ranked as the 12th best guard out of the 80 players who qualified last season.
Following the news, Mike Klis of 9News added that Glasgow was team president John Elway‘s top offensive line target. Glasgow had been heavily tied to the Jets prior to the start of free agency, but Gang Green will have to look for another option to reinforce their line.
Case Keenum Joins Browns
The Browns have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $18MM ($10MM guaranteed) with quarterback Case Keenum, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Cleveland is still heavily invested in quarterback Baker Mayfield, the team is making a heavy investment in ensuring they have a strong option behind him.
Keenum appeared set as a career backup after difficult stints as a starter with the Texans and Rams. In 2017 however, Keenum led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game and seemed to be a resurgent prospect. After struggling with the Broncos and Washington over the past two seasons though, Keenum’s market seems to no longer offer an opportunity to start.
Previous reports tied Keenum to the Browns and it is worth keeping in mind that the Browns new head coach and general manager were not with the organization when Cleveland selected Mayfield with the first overall pick in 2018. Mayfield looked like a franchise quarterback as a rookie, but after a difficult sophomore season, the Browns do have reasonable cause for concern.
Rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski was the quarterbacks’ coach with the Vikings when Keenum excelled in 2017. Keenum immediately becomes one of the league’s highest-paid backups and has a chance to reunite with a coach who helped him reach the peak of his career.
Bucs Have Communicated With Winston
While rumors continue to swirl tying the Buccaneers to quarterback Tom Brady, Tampa Bay is continuing to keep their fallback options open. The team has had communications with Jameis Winston, according to Mike Garafolo.
Winston has had a tumultuous career on and off the field since he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. While he has had plenty of flashes of excellence, Winston’s inconsistencies have been well documented. In his first season under head coach Bruce Arians, Winston excelled in some respects surpassing 30 passing touchdowns and 5,000 passing yards, but his limitations were also very much on display throwing 30 interceptions.
It still remains to be seen whether Brady is willing to leave New England in search of greener pastures elsewhere. The 49ers were reportedly Brady’s top choice and the Titans were rumored to be another possible suitor, but both appear uninterested in making a change at quarterback, leaving Brady with no suitors (aside from the Patriots) that made the playoffs last season. Obviously, Tampa Bay is pursuing other options, but by still keeping contact with Winston, it appears the Bucs still consider him a reasonable option.
Contract Details: Castonzo, Kirksey, Cousins, Jarwin
- Anthony Castonzo, (Colts): two-years, $33MM deal, $17MM guaranteed; salaries 2020: $7MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $10MM; $10MM roster bonus in 2020 guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, $6MM roster bonus in 2021 guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2021 league year; $500k annual Pro Bowl or first-team All-Pro incentive, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Christian Kirksey, (Packers): two-years, $13MM, $4MM guaranteed; salaries 2020: $1.75MM, 2021: $3MM; $1.5MM roster bonus in 2021, $1MM per-game roster bonus in 2020, $1.25MM total 2021 roster bonuses, $250k workout bonus, $1.5MM in annual incentives, $1.75MM incentive for Pro Bowl selection in 2021, $250k escalator for Pro Bowl selection, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Kirk Cousins, (Vikings): two-years, $66MM, $66MM guaranteed, $30MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $9.5MM (fully guaranteed), $21MM (fully guaranteed), $35MM (guaranteed for injury at signing, fully guaranteed on the third day of 2021 league year), according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- Blake Jarwin, (Cowboys): four-years, $22MM, $9.25MM guaranteed, $4MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $2.25MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $3.5MM ($3MM guaranteed for injury at signing), 2022: $4.5MM, 2023: $5.5MM; up to $750K roster bonus per game active 2021-23, $750K in playtime, catches, and playoff based escalators 2021-23, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Bears Interested In Nick Foles?
Michael Lombardi of The Athletic reports that a source informed him that the Bears are attempting to make a deal to acquire quarterback Nick Foles from the Jaguars. Jacksonville inked Foles last offseason to a massive four-year, $88MM deal following Foles’ tenure with the Eagles. Following Lombardi’s report, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports added that there was a lot of buzz at the combine tying Foles to Chicago as well.
Unfortunately for Foles, in his first game with his new team, he broke his left clavicle and while he was out recovering from the injury, rookie Gardner Minshew showed flashes of competence under center. Since Minshew remains on a long-term, rookie-scale, contract, the rebuilding Jaguars may very well prefer the added cap flexibility and youth that moving forward with Minshew would provide.
The Bears have well-documented concerns at quarterback surrounding Mitchell Trubisky. The second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft showed promise early in his career in Chicago, but as the talent surrounding him has dissipated, he has not improved enough to help the team make up for the shortcomings. While it remains to be seen whether the Bears are fully ready to move on from Trubisky, it’s clear they need to at least bring in some competition.
Vikings Extend FB C.J. Ham
The Vikings have signed their fullback C.J. Ham to a three-year extension, per his agent’s Twitter account. No details have emerged on the specific dollar value of the extension, although no deal would be expected to break the bank.
Ham has been one of the few fullbacks left in a league that has relied less and less on the blocking focused fullback. Of the 12 fullbacks who qualified for grading by Pro Football Focus last season, Ham solidly ranked in the middle of the pack at 7th.
Over his three years in Minnesota, Ham has appeared in 47 games (10 starts), caught 35 passes for 302 yards, received 20 carries for 38 yards, and recorded two touchdowns.