Texans Pick Up Will Fuller’s Fifth-Year Option
The Texans have picked up wide receiver Will Fuller‘s fifth-year option, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 KRIV (via Twitter). Fuller is now under club control through 2020, and his 2020 salary — which is guaranteed for injury only — will be $10.1MM (unless the two sides work out an extension before then).
This decision further supports a report from earlier this month that Fuller is expected to make a full recovery from the ACL tear he suffered last year. Indeed, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reiterated today (via Twitter) that Fuller, who is one of the game’s best deep threats, should be ready for the 2019 opener.
Fuller, whom the Texans selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, averaged a career-high 15.7 yards per reception in seven games last season before tearing his ACL. During that time, he posted 32 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns and reeled in 71.% percent of all passes thrown to him by Deshaun Watson.
If he can stay healthy this season, he could position himself nicely for a long-term deal.
Draft Notes: Broncos, Bush, Lock, Colts
The Broncos were widely connected to Devin Bush in the buildup to the draft, but they wound up trading back when they had the opportunity to draft him. Apparently, they weren’t as high on him as many believed (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic).
“I don’t know if we would have taken him if we didn’t trade,” head coach Vic Fangio said. “He was certainly one of the guys we talked about, but we just felt the trade value trumped the guy we would get there.”
The Broncos didn’t necessarily feel that Bush was the right choice at No. 10 overall, but the Steelers did. That worked to Denver’s benefit, as they came away with a solid haul in exchange for moving down. Denver secured the Steelers’ No. 20 pick – which they used to take tight end Noah Fant – plus the Steelers’ second-round choice and a third-round pick next year.
While you mull the Broncos’ decision, here’s more draft news:
- Word has it thatMissouri quarterback Drew Lock went undrafted in the first round due to the nine-inch measurement on his hands (Twitter link via Howard Balzer). For comparison, this year’s first-round QBs Kyler Murray (9 1/2 inches), Dwayne Haskins (9 5/8 inches), and Daniel Jones (9 3/4 inches) proved to have larger hands at the combine. Lock was undoubtedly disappointed, but he probably won’t linger long on Friday night.
- The Colts may not be done trading back even after moving out of the first round. The idea of sliding back from the No. 34 overall pick is “attractive,” GM Chris Ballard says (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of CBS4).
Dolphins, Cardinals Nearing Josh Rosen Trade?
The Dolphins and Cardinals are nearing a trade that would send 2018 first-rounder Josh Rosen from the desert to South Beach, per Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). PFT says that the deal, which may be tentatively complete, would see the Dolphins send tonight’s No. 48 overall pick to the Cards.
However, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets that the No. 48 pick is a little rich for Miami’s blood, so the Fins may ask the Cards to kick in some later-round compensation to balance the scales, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald on Twitter) says that a trade is not close. Albert Breer of TheMMQB agrees with Rapoport, saying that a deal is not done but that the lines of communication are definitely open (Twitter link). The two sides are expected to talk again this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears the Dolphins would not give up their No. 48 pick for the QB, which seems to indicate that A. The deal is far from done and B. The Dolphins may be willing to walk if a deal cannot be agreed upon soon.
Initially, the Cardinals asked for a first-round pick, which the Dolphins declined. Miami brass had a third- or fourth-round pick in mind for the 2018 No. 10 overall selection, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Talks are expected to resume, but Anderson notes the teams are still fairly far apart.
If the trade is completed, it would end one of the more interesting journeys for a first-round QB in recent memory. Everyone in the league seemed to know that Arizona, which traded up in the first round to select Rosen last year, was willing to deal the UCLA product as soon as Kyler Murray declared for this year’s draft. The Cardinals did the expected and made Murray the No. 1 overall pick last night, and we learned today that Arizona GM Steve Keim began shopping Rosen in earnest only minutes before the draft began, so he may have played this one incorrectly.
On the other hand, recouping a second-round pick for Rosen would still be a decent salvage job, as Rosen and Murray cannot feasibly coexist on the Cardinals’ roster, and since several clubs that could have been Rosen suitors selected collegiate passers last night, Keim does not have a ton of leverage at the moment.
From the Dolphins’ perspective, the rebuilding outfit would get a QB with a first-round pedigree who has some flaws and who is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign, but who has a franchise-caliber arm and size. Plus, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets, the Cardinals have already paid 65% of Rosen’s rookie contract.
In that sense, it’s a low-risk move for the Dolphins with a potentially high reward. If Rosen — who would presumably compete with Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job in 2019 — lives up to his draft status, Miami’s rebuild would be accelerated and it could address a different need with its early draft picks in 2020. If he doesn’t, then the Dolphins will not be much worse off than they are now.
Josh Rosen Is Unaware Of Cardinals’ Plans
If the Cardinals select quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick tonight, as most expect, then Josh Rosen will almost certainly be traded, either during the draft or after. His trade market has been fluctuating quite a bit recently, but Arizona will likely be able to get a decent return from some team that misses out on a collegiate signal-caller over the next several days.
But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Rosen himself remains in the dark. The team has given him no indication one way or another as to what it intends to do tonight, which would create a rather uncomfortable situation if Murray is not the pick.
If the Cardinals don’t take Murray, they will have to do a lot of work to mend fences and repair their relationship with a player that just one year ago was deemed their franchise quarterback. The same will hold true if they draft Murray and, for one reason or another, keep Rosen on the roster. Rosen has already admitted that he is frustrated by the situation, which is certainly understandable.
All of that makes it more likely, in Florio’s view, that the Cardinals will indeed take Murray tonight and will trade Rosen in the very near future. Rosen just doesn’t know that yet.
Draft Rumors: Bush, Redskins, Rams
Let’s round up the latest draft rumors in advance of tonight’s main event:
- We heard several days ago that the Falcons were interested in trading into the Top 10, and that they had their sights set on defensive linemen like Christian Wilkins and offensive linemen. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network confirms that Atlanta is indeed interested in moving up, but his sources say the club’s target is actually linebacker Devin Bush (Twitter link). Per Pelissero, the Falcons would need to leapfrog the Broncos, who hold the No. 10 overall pick, to assure themselves of landing Bush.
- Despite all of the rumors suggesting that the Redskins are interested in making a big trade up into the Top 5, Pro Football Talk says that all of the calls that team president Bruce Allen are making are just an example of Allen being Allen and that Washington doesn’t really have a desire to make a move (Twitter link).
- Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the Rams, who hold the No. 31 overall pick in tonight’s draft, have received a number of calls from teams wanting to trade into the back end of the first round. First-rounders, of course, can be kept under club control for five years instead of four.
- As Pelissero notes in a separate tweet, the teams that have shown the most interest in trading down from their current first-round slots are the Jets (No.3), Lions (No. 8), Dolphins (No. 13), Seahawks (Nos. 21 & 29), and Rams (No. 31).
- If Kyler Murray should start to fall down the draft board, he may end up having a better financial future in baseball. As Albert Breer of SI.com notes, MLB’s Oakland A’s have offered him a $14MM “sweetener” on top of the $4.6MM bonus he was already due after the club drafted him last year, for a total of $18.66MM. That number would land between the 10th and 11th overall picks in tonight’s NFL draft, so if Murray ends up falling that far, teams are concerned that he would return to the diamond. But Breer still thinks that Murray will be the No. 1 overall pick tonight.
- Breer calls Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons the most interesting prospect in the draft. He is one of the top defensive players in his class, but the troubling video showing him striking a woman in high school, along with his ACL tear, have completely removed him from some teams’ draft boards. But there is still a good chance that he will be selected in the first round tonight.
- The Panthers and Vikings are both very serious about addressing their needs along the offensive line with early draft picks, as Breer notes in a separate piece. Both clubs used a high number of top-30 visits on O-linemen.
- LSU cornerback Andraez “Greedy” Williams is perhaps the most talented corner in the draft, but as Breer notes, he comes with plenty of red flags concerning his toughness, work ethic, and personality. He did not make a single pre-draft visit, and despite his upside, he could slip out of the first round.
Jaguars Host Corey Liuget
Former Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget visited the Jaguars today, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Liuget, who was released by the Bolts in February after spending the first eight years of his professional career with the club, has also met with the Giants and Seahawks.
Liuget was a fixture on the Chargers’ D-line until last season, which went about as poorly as possible for him. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2018 campaign for violating the league’s PED policy, and he played in only six games (three starts) before tearing his quadriceps in late November. For the season, Liuget compiled five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while earning a 66.9 grade from Pro Football Focus, a mark that would have ranked him as a middling defensive tackle if he had enough snaps to qualify.
Liuget signed a five-year, $58.5MM extension with the Chargers in June 2015, a deal that included $30MM in guaranteed money. But he did not really live up to that contract, and now the 29-year-old will likely need to settle for a one-year pact to reestablish his value.
Obviously, he has garnered a reasonable amount of interest on the open market, and the Chargers were also said to be amenable to a reunion. The Jags do not have a glaring need in the middle of their defensive front, but Liuget could team with Abry Jones and Marcell Dareus to form a fairly solid rotation.
Raiders Considering QB With No. 4 Overall Pick?
Just over a week ago, we heard that the Raiders were unlikely to use one of their three first-round picks on a QB. However, a report from earlier this week suggested that Oakland would be sorely tempted by Kyler Murray if he should slip past the Cardinals, and now Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says that Murray isn’t the only signal-caller the Raiders will consider with the No. 4 overall pick (video link).
RapSheet says rumors connecting the Raiders to a QB continue to persist, and although the team has been steadfast in its support of Derek Carr, Murray and Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins were very impressive to Oakland brass. The implication here is that, assuming no one trades above the Raiders at No. 4, Haskins (or Murray) could very well be Oakland-bound.
That is why teams like the Redskins who are interested in Haskins are concerned with getting above both the Giants, who hold the No. 6 overall pick, and the Raiders. That is welcome news for the Jets, who have the No. 3 overall pick and who are anxious to trade down.
Top defensive prospects like Quinnen Williams have generally been mocked to the Raiders, and the club still could go in that direction. But head coach Jon Gruden is not shy about making bold decisions, and if the team went with Haskins, it could give itself another future trade chip in Carr, and it could still address more glaring needs with its other first round picks.
Latest On Redskins’ First Round Plans
There has been plenty of chatter suggesting that the Redskins want to trade up from their No. 15 overall pick in order to better position themselves to (presumably) nab one of this year’s top collegiate passers. Earlier today, we heard yet again that Washington is contemplating a move into the Top 5, and while there was no definitive report as to the club’s hypothetical trade partner, the Jets — who hold the No. 3 overall pick — are allegedly determined to trade down.
Adding more fuel to that fire are several tweets suggesting that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is perhaps even more involved than usual in his club’s first-round selection. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan hears from a team source that Snyder has “taken over the first round of the draft,” and the last time that happened, Washington surrendered a king’s ransom of draft picks to acquire the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 draft, which it used on Robert Griffin III (Twitter link).
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network has a similar report, and he indicates that Snyder “absolutely” has influence on the Redskins’ draft, while team president Bruce Allen also has an important role. On the other hand, senior VP of player personnel Doug Williams has limited input on the team’s picks, and head coach Jay Gruden has even less (Twitter link).
That in and of itself doesn’t mean much, but when put in the context of the RGIII trade, it could serve as a harbinger of things to come tomorrow night (plus, Garafolo’s report obviously doesn’t offer an optimistic view on Gruden’s long-term future with the club, which is an interesting sidenote). However, Mike Jones of USA Today tweets that the Redskins do not feel they can part with their early picks, and if they want to jump all the way up to No. 3, they will have to essentially empty their cupboard of early picks. Jones does note, though, that it’s lying season, so the Redskins’ reported reluctance to part with prime draft capital could be a smokescreen.
For what it’s worth, Paulsen says that Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie categorically denied the notion that Snyder has taken control of the team’s first-round pick, but it’s his job to quash these kinds of rumors, regardless of their veracity. And regardless of Snyder’s influence on the draft, the Redskins have firmly established themselves as one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye over the next 24 hours or so.
Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr. Requests New Contract Or Trade
Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who has not reported to minicamp, has formally requested a new contract or trade, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Mike Klis of 9News.com classifies this report as an “ominous turn,” and he adds that Harris is seeking a contract that will pay him at least $15MM per year (Twitter link).
Reports last week indicated that Harris would not be attending this week’s minicamp, which was not much of a surprise given that Harris also skipped voluntary workouts earlier in the month. It has been clear for some time that Harris, who is entering the final year of his current contract, is pushing for a new deal.
Denver is open to giving him one, but the $15MM/year figure would make Harris the highest-paid CB in the league on an AAV basis (the Redskins’ Josh Norman is also earning $15MM per year). But he does have leverage, as he has become one of the best corners in the league and is the heart and soul of the Broncos’ secondary.
Perhaps he is hoping that he can pressure the Broncos into giving into his demands so that they do not feel obligated to select a CB during this week’s draft, but if that was his plan, he should have made the request more than two days prior to the draft. Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post tweets that it was a misplay for Harris’ camp to make the request at this point, and Klis says in a separate tweet that a trade may be the best option for Harris and Denver.
After all, as good as Harris is, Klis says Broncos GM John Elway is highly unlikely to hand him a $15MM/year deal. Harris is nearly 30 and is coming off a fractured fibula, though considering the value of quality corners in today’s league, it would not be altogether surprising to see some team swinging a trade and at least coming close to meeting Harris’ demands.
Suddenly, the Harris situation has become one to pay close attention to, though Elway has made it clear that he is not going to address Harris’ contract until after the draft is over (Twitter link via Troy Renck of Denver7). He also indicated that a new contract might not get done, which is notable since most GMs in this situation will at least offer lip service suggesting that they expect the player in question to be with the team for the long haul.
Saints CB Ken Crawley Signs RFA Tender
Saints CB Ken Crawley has signed his original round RFA tender, as veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. We learned last week that Crawley would be signing the tender, as he had not garnered any interest from rival clubs.
The lack of interest is not surprising, even though a team that signed Crawley to an offer sheet would not have needed to send any draft compensation to the Saints (since Crawley entered the league as an undrafted free agent). Crawley was demoted from his starting role prior to New Orleans’ Week 3 matchup last year, and although he was reinstated as a starter for the next three contests, he wound up appearing in only ten games and did not return to the starting lineup.
That was quite a contrast from his 2017 campaign, when he started all 13 games that he appeared in. But in 2018, Crawley finished as a bottom-three cornerback, per Pro Football Focus‘ advanced metrics, and although he is now under contract for 2019, his $2.025MM salary is not guaranteed, so he could be cut without any cap repercussions.
For his career, Crawley has 128 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and 31 passes defensed.