Seahawks CB Justin Coleman Signs RFA Tender
Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Coleman was one of 14 NFL restricted free agents to be tendered at the second-round level, and he’s the third — following Falcons guard Ben Garland and Jaguars running back Corey Grant — to officially sign his tender. There was no rush for Coleman to ink his tender, as RFAs have until April 20 to work out offer sheets with other clubs. However, it was unlikely that any NFL team would have been willing to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Coleman.
After spending two seasons in New England, Coleman was traded to Seattle in the 2017 offseason for a seventh-round pick in 2018. Mainly serving as a nickel back with the Seahawks, Coleman impressed when he was on the field, recording two interceptions and returning both of them for touchdowns.
Coleman is expected to slot back as the nickel in 2018, despite the release of veterans Richard Sherman and DeShawn Shead earlier in free agency.
Thomas Rawls To Visit Jets
Former Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls is set to visit the Jets on Thursday, a source told Brian Costello of the New York (Twitter link). 
At the outset of the period, Rawls was not tendered by the Seahawks as a restricted free agent.
The visit marks the second stop in free agency for the third-year running back, who also met with the Chiefs earlier this month. The Jets have recently added former Browns running back Isaiah Crowell to their backfield, pairing him with Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire.
Undrafted coming out of Central Michigan in 2015, Rawls enjoyed a strong start to his career as a fill-in for Marshawn Lynch, posting 830 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games as a rookie. That season he also led the league in yards per attempts with 5.6. He has yet to replicate that success, however, gaining just 506 yards in 21 games over the last two seasons. In 2017, he featured in a revolving-door backfield in Seattle with Eddie Lacy, Chris Carson and J.D. McKissic.
NFC Notes: Rodgers, Giants, Falcons, Saints
With the quarterback carousel of the 2018 offseason winding down, it is now time for team’s with entrenched signal-callers to review their current deals. At the forefront of that list is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The two sides have been long expected to come to an agreement on a new deal this offseason and Packers president Mark Murphy still expects a new deal to get done this offseason, Chris Roth of WBAY-TV in Green Bay tweets.
It only made sense for Rodgers to wait for Kirk Cousins to set the bar, and he did that when he inked a three-year, $84MM deal with the Vikings earlier this month. Currently, Rodgers’ 2013 extension — which runs through 2019 — pays him $22MM annually. He can expect that number to inch close to an annual salary of $30MM.
Before missing nine games in 2017 with a collarbone injury, Rodgers had played in all 16 games in three consecutive seasons. During that time, the Packers great earned three Pro Bowl selections, a First Team All-Pro nod and claimed league MVP honors in 2014.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The Giants trade of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul does not mean the team is dead set on taking his replacement with Bradley Chubb at the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, SportsNet New York’s Ralph Vacchiano writes. He says the move was simply the team dumping JPP’s contract, and the team is happy to move forward with Olivier Vernon, Kareem Martin and Josh Mauro. That being said, the team could still nab the N.C. State standout if it is not sold on a quarterback or wary of taking a running back in Saquon Barkley.
- The Falcons could be bringing back safety Kemal Ishmael, ESPN’s Vaughn McClure heads (Twitter link). The versatile hybrid safety has spent five seasons with the Falcons, starting 20 of his 65 career games. In 2017, Ishmael logged one sack and 24 tackles in 16 games.
- Among several other spots, the Saints can also stand to improve their wide receiver corps, The Times-Picayune’s Larry Holder writes. The team is locked into Michael Thomas as the No. 1 of the future, but the Saints could also bring in a veteran like Jordan Matthews or address the position in the draft, according to Holder. The writer also mentions running back, tight end, fullback and defensive tackle as positions that need to be improved upon.
AFC Notes: Anthem, Jets, Raiders, Broncos
Among the most divisive issues facing the NFL today are national anthem protests. That division is also felt among the owners themselves, who are currently in Orlando for the annual owner’s meetings.
Outspoken on the subject for more than a year, Texans owner Bob McNair issued another statement on the issue on Sunday, saying, according to The Washington Post’s Mark Maske (Twitter link):
“We’re going to deal with it in such a way, I think, that people will understand that we want everybody to respect our country, respect our flag. And our playing fields, that’s not the place for political statements.”
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson, however, falls on the other side of the argument, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert (Twitter link).
“I can’t speak to how other people run their teams, but I just think that trying to forcibly get the players to shut up is a fantastically bad idea.”
Despite McNair’s seeming assuredness, the owners do not appear to be near to a solution. The issue is sure to permeate throughout the meetings.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Sticking with the Jets, wide receiver Robby Anderson had his court date moved from Monday to Aug. 6, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The new date will now take place while the Jets are at training camp. The charges, stemming from a January incident, include three felonies: second-degree felony harm to a public servant or family, third-degree felony fleeing/eluding police while lights/siren active and third-degree felony speeding. After being arrested, Anderson threatened to sexually assault the wife of the arresting officer, according to reports. Anderson was allegedly clocked at 105 mph in 45-mph zone speeding away from police while running multiple red lights.
- Broncos general manager and executive vice president of football operations John Elway said the team doesn’t know who it plans to take with the No. 5 pick in 2018 NFL Draft, 9 News’ Mike Klis writes. “You know we’re wide open, to be dead honest with you,’’ Elway said. “Who knows how it’s all going to fall. The Jets have already moved (from the No. 6 pick up to No. 3) and there’s going to be other teams that may be moving around, too, so we’re going to go through and have those discussions. I will tell ya, it’s funny how people think they know who you’re drafting because I don’t know who we’re drafting, yet. We’re going to do our homework and eventually get there.’’
- Raiders owner Mark Davis said with the hiring of new head coach Jon Gruden, he plans to be done with the football side of the organization, NBC Sports’ Scott Bair tweets. “It was a six-year process to get Jon to be the head coach,” Davis said. “This year, he finally came on board. That allows me to see a long-term process working out on the football side. … I play devil’s advocate on certain things, but those guys make the decisions.”
Browns Sign QB Drew Stanton
The Browns secured the services of another quarterback on Sunday, as veteran Cardinals signal-caller Drew Stanton signed a two-year deal with the club, Mike McCartney, the player’s agent reports (Twitter link). 
The 10-year veteran did not take a formal meeting with the team. Instead, he ran into team brass by chance while the Browns were scouting on the West Coast. The informal run-in was enough to convince the club to go through with the two-year deal.
A backup to Matthew Stafford in Detroit, Andrew Luck in Indianapolis and Carson Palmer in Arizona, Stanton has been in the locker room with some of the game’s top quarterbacks. He will again serve as a backup, this time to Tyrod Taylor, who was traded to Cleveland from Buffalo earlier this month.
The move also provides quite the logjam at the position. Behind Taylor and Stanton, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan are also on the squad. The list is expected to expand to five after the NFL Draft next month, when the team is thought to be taking a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks.
Cowboys Close To Re-Signing OL Joe Looney
The Cowboys have been busy recently bringing in reinforcements for the offensive line and reportedly are close to deals with former Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and former 49ers lineman Marcus Martin. 
The team is also expected to keep some of its own offensive line, as it is close to re-signing veteran Joe Looney to a deal as early as Monday, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes.
After stints with the 49ers and Titans, Looney has found a home as a reserve lineman the last two seasons in Dallas. He has appeared in all 32 games since 2016, starting three, and play both guard positions and center. Moore also notes Looney is used in the team’s jumbo formation when it replaces a tight end.
Though he is not expected to serve as a starter up front, Looney is well liked by his teammates and is viewed as a good presence in the locker room who can also serve as a versatile role in a pinch.
Contract Details: Cousins, Graham, Davis
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Vikings): Three years, $84MM. Guaranteed salaries of $22.5MM, $27.5MM and $29.5MM. Guaranteed $500K workout bonuses each year. Up to $2MM in incentives per year. No-trade clause and a no-transition tag provision in 2021 (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN).
- Jimmy Graham, TE (Packers): Three years, $30MM. $11MM signing bonus, $300K per-game roster bonuses each year. $2MM base salary in 2018, $3.45MM in 2019 and $7.45MM in 2020. $5.67MM 2018 cap number. $5MM roster bonus due on third day of 2019 season (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein).
- Demario Davis, LB (Saints): Three years, $24MM. $16MM guaranteed. $9.2MM signing bonus. Annual salaries of $850K, $5.95MM (guaranteed) and $7.35MM. (Twitter links via Graziano and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Jeremy Hill, RB (Patriots): One year, $1.5MM. $150K signing bonus. $1M base salary. (via Pelissero, on Twitter, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss).
- Bruce Ellington, WR (Texans): One year, $1.25MM. $730K base salary, $200K signing bonus (via Wilson, on Twitter).
Pernell McPhee Visits Redskins
Former Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee has begun his first visit of free agency, meeting with the Redskins on Sunday night, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The meeting will continue to Monday. 
Highly sought after as a free agent in 2015, McPhee, 29, struggled with injuries as a member of the Bears. The Bears signed him to a five-year, $38.75MM contract and he made $23.2MM. He was set to earn $7.5MM this season and his release cleared $7.1MM in cap space for Chicago. He contributed 14 sacks and 90 tackles while making 17 starts.
If he signed with the Redskins, Washington would assuredly hope for a return to his Baltimore days, when he logged 17 sacks in four years as a rotational pass rusher.
The Redskins have been busy on the defensive side of the ball early in free agency, re-signing linebacker Zach Brown and setting up meetings with cornerback Orlando Scandrick, defensive end Benson Mayowa and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Cowboys To Re-Sign LS L.P. Ladouceur
On Monday, the Cowboys will re-sign longtime long snapper L.P. Ladouceur to a one-year deal, ESPN’s Todd Archer tweets. 
It will be Ladouceur’s 14th year with the team, ranking him behind only Jason Witten, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Bill Bates and Mark Tuinei in total tenure with the team.
If you’ve never heard of him, that’s a good thing. The only time a long snapper is mentioned is when he makes a mistake, something Ladouceur has never done. In 2016, The Guardian labeled the long snapper “the NFL’s perfect player” after he had gone 12 years without making a bad snap. His streak is still in tact through 2017.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005 by the Saints, Ladouceur was released before the start of the season. He was given a tryout with the Cowboys during the season and has been with the team ever since.
His failure to make a bad snap has helped kicker Dan Bailey post one of the highest field-goal percentages in NFL history. The return of Ladouceur, a Pro Bowl selection in 2014, is one that will go under the radar, but provides Dallas with much-needed consistency on special teams.
Damien Williams To Visit Chiefs
After meeting with Thomas Rawls this weekend, the Chiefs will continue to look at running backs this coming week by visiting with former Dolphins backup Damien Williams, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. 
The starter in K.C. is unquestionably Kareem Hunt, who led the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie in 2017. Williams could serve as insurance in the case that Spencer Ware has not recovered from preseason surgery to repair a torn PCL and a damaged LCL.
Undrafted in 2014 coming out of Oklahoma, Williams has spent his first four seasons in the league with Miami, appearing in 58 games. Used more as a pass catcher out of the backfield than as a runner, Williams has logged 85 grabs for 733 yards and six touchdowns, compared to 133 carries for 477 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
After the Dolphins dealt Jay Ajayi to the Eagles at the trade deadline, Williams made four starts and logged 149 yards on 34 carries during the stretch. In Week 12 against the Patriots, he dislocated his shoulder and was sidelined the remainder of the season.