49ers Sign Veteran DL Ethan Westbrooks
The 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract with veteran defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Westbrooks currently looks like just a depth piece for a stacked San Francisco D-line, but this offseason could spur a lot of movement along the Niners front and open up a clearer spot for their newest addition.
Westbrooks spent the first five seasons of his career with the Rams from 2014-2018. Over his time there, he appeared in 67 games (making 11 starts) and amassed 79 tackles, 26 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, and a 77-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
During his tenure with the Rams organization, Westbrooks did make headlines after he was arrested for suspicion of domestic violence in March of 2017. The Sacramento County District Attorney declined to press charges a week later and Westbrooks was never reprimanded by the league. He returned to the Rams in the 2018 season and there have been no other reported incidents.
While Westbrooks should not factor in as a starter for San Francisco, the team will have some tough decisions to make on their salary cap following their loss in Super Bowl LIV. Starter Arik Armstead and rotation player Ronald Blair are set for free-agency, DeForrest Buckner is due for an extension while Dee Ford and Solomon Thomas both could be traded to create more cap space. The loss of Armstead, Blair, or Ford all could cause a shuffle along the line opening up potential reps for Westbrooks.
Last season, Westbrooks was released by the Raiders in their final round of cuts and did not catch onto another team’s roster before the end of the season. However, the 49ers should have more familiarity with Westbrooks than the average organization since their director of pro personnel, Ron Carthon, worked for the Rams from 2012-2016.
Poll: Who Is The Best Unrestricted Free Agent QB This Offseason?
As teams gear up for an offseason of roster maneuvering, teams are beginning to the arduous process of lining up their salary caps to retain key players on expiring contracts, sign free agents, and their draft picks. Teams are forced to make especially difficult salary-cap decisions when they have a chance at an elite player through free agency.
While many of the top players currently set for free agency will surely sign an extension with their current team or receive either the franchise or transition tag, it is always a fun exercise to examine who is currently the best player set to be available through unrestricted free agency.
It’s no secret that this year’s offseason will be dominated by quarterback storylines. Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Teddy Bridgewater are all set to be unrestricted free agents and had success as starters last season. Yet, none of them have the pedigree of future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the 
combination of youth and sustained success like Dak Prescott, or match the recent performance of Ryan Tannehill.
Brady has obviously asserted himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time over his Patriots career, but he will be 43 before the start of next season and looked abnormally average at the close of this season. New England finished the season with back-to-back losses to finish out the regular season (against the 5-11 Dolphins) and in the first round of the playoffs (at home against the Titans).
Brady played a role in both losses, completing just 36 of his 66 attempts (good for a 54.5% completion percentage) for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, Brady amassed over 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season and produced his best touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 to 8) since 2017.
Brees is in a similar boat. He’ll be 41 next season, but just led the league in completion percentage for the third consecutive season and posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. With that said, the Saints did not look much different in the 5 games Brees missed early in the season with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.
Prescott has been surrounded by the hoopla of quarterbacking America’s Team, but the Cowboys signal-caller has taken consistent strides under the bright lights. At just 26 last season, Prescott fell just 98 yards shy of reaching the 5000-yard mark. He set a career-high with 30 touchdown throws and even while throwing a career-high 596 attempts, was sacked a career-low 23 times.
Of course, unlike Brees and Brady, Prescott has yet to reach the historic status they both already have. In fact, Prescott has yet to play in a conference championship game. Furthermore, his career year this season came while Dallas struggled to an 8-8 record in a wide-open NFC East. Does he deserve credit for performing despite a difficult surrounding, or was he responsible for the team’s struggles?
Finally, one of the most interesting stories of the season surrounded the quarterback position in Tennessee. Many around the league scoffed when the Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. It seemed like they were just replacing one disappointing quarterback with another. However, the once highly regarded prospect led the Titans to a 7-3 surge to close the regular season, upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs, and almost upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Tannehill threw for 2742 yards in just 10 regular season starts, throwing 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6) and quarterback rating (117.5) while helping young wideout A.J. Brown emerge as one of the best receivers in football. However, it’s fair to wonder how much of Tannehill’s success was a side-effect of a fantastic run game (led by Derrick Henry) and his receivers (like Brown). With the shortest resume of the group, Tannehill surely represents the largest risk but may have one of the highest rewards.
With all that said, what do you think? Who is the best unrestricted free agent quarterback this offseason? Submit your answer in the poll below and voice in your opinion in the comments.
NFL Upholds Steelers Mason Rudolph $50,000 Fine
The NFL is finally done litigating the infamous fight between the Browns and Steelers on November 14th of last season. The fight’s signature moment came when Browns defensive end Myles Garrett swung Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph‘s helmet at his bare head. The league’s discipline, which included numerous fines and suspensions for players on both teams, was headlined by an indefinite suspension of Garrett. It was reported earlier today that the league reinstated Garrett and, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the league finally reviewed Rudolph’s appeal of his $50,000 fine and upheld their original decision.
When the news of Garrett’s reinstatement originally broke, one of Garafolo’s colleagues at the NFL Network, Ian Rapoport, noted a previous report from Garafolo that Rudolph’s appeal had yet to be decided due to a backlog at the league office. However, Garafolo quickly responded to Rapoport citing “a source” that informed him the decision to uphold Rudolph’s fine had indeed been made.
At the time of the incident, Garrett claimed Rudolph used a racial slur, which sparked his angry outburst. However, per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the team told Garrett to keep the allegation between him and the league before his disciplinary meeting. The allegation leaked to the media nearly a week after the incident and the league claimed they found no evidence to substantiate Garrett’s claims. Regardless, Rudolph did appear to instigate Garrett in the incident and thus, was fined $50,000.
Dan Snyder Lobbying For Sports Betting
Washington owner Dan Snyder has been lobbying the Maryland legislature to permit his organization a sports gambling license. 
Unsurprisingly, Snyder is lobbying the Virginia legislature as well, according to Erin Cox and Ovetta Wiggins of the Washington Post. Per the Washington Post report, Snyder has built some momentum towards a bill’s passage. The legislature will be voting on two sports gambling bills on Monday, but it remains unclear whether either will pass at this point.
Obviously every NFL team would benefit greatly from a gambling license and Snyder would surely be happy to create a new revenue stream for his organization. Of course, Snyder has yet to show much competence on the football side of his team ownership, however, it is hardly new for an owner to consistently prioritize financial returns to football performance.
Going forward, if Snyder were able to obtain a license, other ownership groups would surely try to emulate his tactics. The league may also step in and attempt to adjudicate if teams with licenses have to share revenues with teams in states with less amenable legislatures.
Players Split On 17 Game Schedule?
The NFL and NFLPA are hoping to agree on the next CBA prior to the start of free agency. The current CBA does not expire at that point but set to expire at the end of the next league year, players and teams would both benefit from knowing what the future structure of the league (especially the salary cap) would look like.
While there have been no recent updates on the situation, it has been widely reported that the league would advocate adding a 17th game to the regular season to increase revenues. Players were expected to be united in opposition to this expansion, but that might not be as clear as previously believed.
Mike Klis of 9News.com talked with Broncos’ union rep-kicker Brandon McManus-about the current status of the situation. McManus discussed talking to his teammates after the last union meeting in detail, but his notes on the disparate responses to a 17-game schedule could have some interesting ramifications.
McManus noted that the additional share of revenue ownership is offering in compensation would have a big impact on players towards the bottom of the pay scale. However, veterans and other high-paid players have greater financial flexibility and can prioritize their health to a greater degree. Still, McManus said he was personally not in favor of an expanded schedule and it would likely require some large concessions from ownership.
Also of note, McManus “can’t fathom” an agreement getting done before free-agency.
Texans LB Jacob Martin To Become Every Down Player?
Linebacker Jacob Martin proved himself as a solid rotational pass-rusher for the Texans this season. Martin is aiming to make an even bigger contribution going forward. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Martin plans to bulk up and put on some weight this offseason in hopes he can play a more expanded role along Houston’s defensive front.
Listed at 6-2, 242 pounds, Martin was ineffective against the run in early down situations. With that said, he’s shown an effective ability as an edge pass-rusher on long third downs. Still, Martin was on the field for just 21 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season. In that limited sample, Martin managed 11 combined tackles, 7 quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Houston acquired Martin from the Seahawks earlier this year alongside Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Many panned Houston’s decision to wait as long as they did to trade Clowney (who had been franchised for the entirety of the offseason). Several defensive linemen like Dee Ford and Frank Clark had been in similar situations to Clowney, but were traded early in the offseason and each recouped greater draft compensation than Houston received for Clowney.
Mingo a former top pick, has yet to be more than a role player in Houston and at his age (29) is unlikely to amount to much more than that. Martin, on the other hand, was selected by the Seahawks in the sixth round out of Temple two years ago and just turned 24 years old in December.
While it still appears the Texans did not extract maximum value for Clowney, if Martin can take another step in his development, Houston could still be satisfied with their return.
Browns Rumors: Berry, OBJ, Landry, Van Pelt
The Browns dominated last year’s NFL offseason storylines. After their strong finish to the 2018 season, lead executive John Dorsey made a number of aggressive moves, highlighted by the acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr. However, while that momentum led them to be a pundit favorite to win their division and potentially reach the Super Bowl, those predictions never came close to fruition. They finished the season 6-10 and moved on from Dorsey and rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens.
New general manager Andrew Berry though, seemed to suggest he will at least follow Dorsey in his willingness to make bold moves. In her weekly mailbag, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com noted that Berry was clear in his introductory press conference that he was looking to be aggressive and would not shy away from big moves.
Here are more notes from around the Browns organization:
- Jay Glazer of The Athletic does not expect Cleveland to make any moves to unload either Beckham or Jarvis Landry this offseason. Glazer noted that new head coach Kevin Stefanski would likely want as many offensive weapons as possible given his focus on offense. Glazer did note that both Beckham and Landry have to be invested in Stefanski for that to work. He could still see a trade occurring if they are unwilling to buy-in.
- Cleveland has yet to announce if there will be a quarterbacks coach on Stefanski’s staff. In a separate part of her mailbag, Mary Kay Cabot suggested there is a pretty good chance that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will serve the dual role as coordinator and QB coach considering his lengthy experience at that position.
Broncos Interview John Pagano For Coaching Staff
The Broncos interviewed longtime NFL coach John Pagano earlier today for the team’s open outside linebacker coaching position, according to Mike Klis of 9News.com. Pagano is a veteran NFL assistant and has many ties to the Denver area. Pagano comes from a familial lineage of coaching. His father, Sam Pagano, was a wildly successful high school head coach in Boulder, Colorado at Boulder Fairview High School and his older brother Chuck Pagano is the former Colts head coach and current Bears defensive coordinator.
Pagano has been coaching in the NFL since 1996. He was let go by the Texans a couple of weeks ago after a two-year stint as a senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach in Houston. Prior to his time in Houston, Pagano had been a defensive coordinator with the Chargers from 2012-2016 and with the Raiders in 2017. More relevant to his potential candidacy in Denver, Pagano served as a defensive assistant from 1999-2001 with the Colts on the same staff as current Broncos head coach Vic Fangio.
His long experience as a linebackers coach, familiarity with Fangio, and childhood ties to Colorado would seem to align to make him a likely candidate. Assistant coaching staff positions are not subject to the Rooney Rule or any other restrictions, so the team could make a hire at any point. Only time will tell if Pagano will indeed make a homecoming.
NFC Coaching Turner, Peetz, Linguist, Harris,Whitted
Norv Turner will not be returning to the Panthers coaching staff, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Turner had served as a special assistant to former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. Rivera, of course, was recently replaced by Matt Rhule and has since taken over in Washington. While nothing has been reported, it would not be a surprise to see Turner follow Rivera to the nation’s capital to work with young quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
At the same time, Carolina blocked running backs coach Jake Peetz from interviewing for other positions, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Breer adds that Rivera wanted to take Peetz with him, but Carolina general manager Marty Hurney valued Peetz and the team decided to reward him with a promotion to quarterbacks coach.
Here’s some more notes from coaching staff’s around the NFC:
- The Cowboys hired Texas A&M cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist to serve as the team’s defensive backs coach alongside Al Harris. Linguist did not have a history with either head coach Mike McCarthy or defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, but his personality impressed the pair so much that they offered him the job on the same day of his interview, according to Dallas Cowboys reporter Lindsay Cash Draper. Harris had been an assistant with Kansas City, but more notably, played under McCarthy during his tenure in Green Bay at cornerback.
- Harris’ former team will be making a change at wide receivers coach. According Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers have let Alvis Whitted go and have begun the process of searching for his replacement. Whitted was hired just a year ago to join Matt LaFleur’s staff, but it appears LaFleur will be going in a different direction.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/18/20
Here’s the only transaction of the day:
Green Bay Packers
- Activated S Raven Greene from injured reserve