Lions Sign QB Tom Savage
The Lions have signed free agent QB Tom Savage, per Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website (via Twitter).
Savage has had a tough go of it since entering the league as a fourth-round pick of the Texans in 2014. He served as a backup in his rookie campaign, missed all of 2015 with a shoulder injury, worked primarily as a backup to Brock Osweiler in 2016, and finally got his chance to start in 2017. But he made it through just the first half of the first game of the 2017 season, and he was benched at halftime in favor of Deshaun Watson, whom the team had drafted in the first round that year. He reentered the starting lineup when Watson went down with an ACL injury, but he ended up putting together a 1-6 record and a 71.4 quarterback rating.
Savage signed with the Saints last April but was cut before the start of the regular season, and he bounced on and off of the 49ers’ roster for several months. He finished out the 2018 campaign with the Bengals, who claimed him off waivers in November, but he did not see a regular season snap last year.
For his career, Savage has a 2-7 record and has thrown for five touchdowns against seven interceptions. With Detroit, he will compete to serve as Matthew Stafford‘s backup. The only other QB currently on the Lions’ roster is Connor Cook, though the club may select a passer in this month’s draft.
As Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com observes, the Savage signing means that the Lions will not be bringing back last year’s No. 2 signal-caller, Matt Cassel.
Dolphins Sign Kenneth Farrow, Three Others
The Dolphins have signed AAF standout Kenneth Farrow, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Miami, which is in full rebuild mode, has raided the now-defunct AAF, adding linebackers Tyrone Holmes and Jayrone Elliott and offensive lineman Michael Dunn in recent days.
Farrow signed with the Chargers as a UDFA out of Houston in 2016 and saw action in 13 games (2 starts) that year. He totaled 262 yards from scrimmage, most of which came after a late-season injury to Melvin Gordon created an opportunity for playing time. Farrow’s 2017 season was wiped out by a shoulder injury, and Los Angeles waived him last April. He bounced on and off the Patriots’ taxi squad in 2018, but he did not see game action.
As a member of the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders, though, Farrow compiled 372 rushing yards (tied for second in the league) and four TDs. He added 12 catches for 95 yards, and he may get an extended look on the talent-needy Dolphins.
As Jackson writes, the Dolphins have also added former AAF players Joey Mbu (DT), Reece Horn (WR), and Jaryd Jones-Smith (OT).
NFL, NFLPA Discuss New CBA
As promised, the NFL and the NFLPA met today to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. After the meeting, the two sides released the following joint statement:
“Today, the members of the NFL’s Management Council and the NFLPA’s Executive Committee met to discuss negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The League and the Union have committed to meet regularly in the coming months, which will involve staff, NFL leadership, members of the NFLPA Executive Committee and Player Representatives.”
The current CBA expires after the 2020 season, and the league and union hope that by beginning talks now and continuing to meet regularly, they can avoid a lockout like the one that shut down operations in 2011. The union has consistently advised players to prepare for a lockout after 2020, but there is at least cause for optimism at this point.
Some of the players’ goals for the new CBA include increasing their overall revenue from the 47 percent threshold that was established by the 2011 agreement, bringing more guaranteed money into contracts, addressing the length of time it takes to become a free agent, and potentially updating the drug policy.
The current CBA will reportedly not be extended, and will be replaced by a new agreement.
Colts Host Spencer Ware
The Colts hosted free agent running back Spencer Ware, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Indianapolis has a young and talented RB tandem, with Marlon Mack and 2018 fourth-rounder Nyheim Hines — an excellent receiver out of the backfield — at the top of the depth chart.
Jordan Wilkins, another 2018 draft choice, averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 60 totes in his rookie campaign, so the Colts do not really need to add a free agent back. But Ware would provide a solid veteran presence in the rotation if the clubs elects to carry four RBs, and he could theoretically push Wilkins for playing time while serving as insurance should one of the top backs get hurt.
Ware first made noise in 2015 when he ran for 403 yards with the Chiefs and averaged 5.6 yards per carry in a limited sample. In 2016, he was the Chiefs’ starter and amassed 921 yards with a 4.3 yards-per-tote average. His usage fluctuated over the course of three healthy years in KC, but the 27-year-old’s career 4.7 YPC shows promise.
He appeared to be primed for stardom after that ’16 season, but a torn PCL cost him the 2017 campaign. Last year, he had an opportunity to shine again after Kareem Hunt was cut, but a hamstring injury took him out of the running for the final stretch. He returned for the AFC title game, but didn’t have a major role in the loss to the Pats.
Ware visited the Lions last month.
Raiders Host Shane Ray
The Raiders hosted free agent edge rusher Shane Ray, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. The club recently signed another former Broncos defender, Brandon Marshall, and Ray could follow suit.
Ray, whom Denver selected in the first round of the 2015 draft, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree, but he has shown flashes of promise. The 25-year-old (26 in May) amassed four sacks as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016. Injuries have derailed him somewhat, however, as he has just two sacks in the last two years combined.
But the Raiders are in dire need of pass rush help, and Ray makes plenty of sense as an upside play. Ray would likely serve as a defensive end in the club’s 4-3 scheme, and the top two DEs on the roster at the moment are Josh Mauro and 2018 third-rounder Arden Key, so if the two sides reach an agreement, Ray may have plenty of opportunity to rebuild his value.
Ray visited the Colts last month but left Indy without a deal.
Patriots To Re-Sign K Stephen Gostkowski
The Patriots are re-signing long-time kicker Stephen Gostkowski to a two-year contract, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The timing of the deal is interesting, as we hadn’t heard any updates on negotiations between the two sides for nearly three weeks. Earlier today, however, a report that the 49ers were interested in Gostkowski surfaced, and perhaps that was the push that New England needed to pull the trigger.
Gostkowski, 35, has served as the Patriots’ place kicker since 2006, and he just finished a four-year, $17.2MM pact that he signed in 2015, but the Pats elected to not use the franchise tag on him and allowed him to hit the free agent market for the first time. After paying Gostkowski an average of $4.3MM per year over the last four seasons, New England was said to be waiting for a “market correction” (in other words, they wanted to pay him less this time around).
Other teams were reportedly interested in his services, but before today, we did not have any specifics in that regard.
Gostkowski is the third-most accurate kicker in league history. Last year, he made 27 of his 32 field goal attempts, good for an 84.4% conversion rate that ranked 20th in the NFL. He missed only a single extra point, and the Patriots ranked 17th in Football Outsiders‘ field goal/extra point metric.
New England selected Gostkowski in the fourth round of the 2006 draft, and he and punter Ryan Allen — who re-signed with the club last month — will work as the Pats’ kicking specialists for the seventh straight year.
Workout Updates: 4/7/19
Here are today’s workout/visit updates:
Minnesota Vikings
- WR Jordan Taylor (will visit Monday, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
Seattle Seahawks
- OL Ulrick John (will visit on Friday, as Wilson tweets)
- WR Jordan Taylor (will visit Wednesday, per Wilson)
Draft Notes: Bush, Oliver, Gary
Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is meeting with the Giants tonight, and the visit will last until Monday, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. New York, armed with the Nos. 6 and 17 overall picks, will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch in the draft given the uncertainty surrounding its QB position. Despite that uncertainty, Big Blue could very well use both first-round selections on defensive playmakers, and Bush, one of the best LBs in the draft, would be a good fit with the 17th-overall selection.
Now for more draft rumblings from around the league:
- The Eagles have three picks in the first two rounds of the draft, and Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com expects the club to be very aggressive in trying to trade up. That will be especially true if Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver starts to fall, as Shorr-Parks believes Philadelphia will want to move up the draft board to land him. The team either has hosted, or will host, Oliver on an official visit.
- The Raiders recently met with Oliver and Penn State offensive lineman Connor McGovern, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport adds that the Colts have met with Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary.
- After losing out on Odell Beckham Jr., the 49ers still have a major need at the WR position. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area believes there is a good chance the club uses its No. 36 overall pick on a wideout, and he names A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel as legitimate possibilities. San Francisco either has hosted, or will host, both players.
- We learned several weeks ago that Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins would meet with five teams, including the Broncos and Redskins, and Rapoport tweets that those visits will take place this week. Denver and Washington are among the clubs doing their homework on all of this year’s top passers.
- The Bengals are reportedly considering using their No. 11 overall pick on a QB, and while Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com believes it is unlikely Cincinnati goes that route, she concedes it is a definite possibility (Twitter link).
Latest On Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski, one of the league’s most prolific kickers, is still unsigned as we head into the fourth week of the new league year, and there has not been any chatter about him since March 21.
On March 21, we learned that the Patriots and Gostkowski, who has served as the team’s place kicker since 2006, were working on a new deal. But nothing has happened yet, and despite rumored interest from other clubs, it is unclear who those other teams might be and how interested they are in Gostkowski’s services.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says the Patriots are simply waiting on a “market correction” after they signed Gostkowski to a four-year deal in 2015 that included an AAV of $4.3MM, which would still rank second among kickers (behind only Robbie Gould‘s one-year franchise tender of just under $5MM). New England apparently believes it overpaid, and the club is not inclined to do so again.
Reiss expects Gostkowski’s status with the Pats to be solidified one way or another by the draft, which begins on April 25. But the ESPN scribe does not offer any indication as to whether he believes the two sides will re-up, so while it would still be surprising to see Gostkowski kicking for another club in 2019, it certainly appears to be a possibility.
Bengals Considering QB With First-Round Pick?
There has been talk around the league that the Bengals are considering drafting a QB with their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in this month’s draft, per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
The Bengals have deployed Andy Dalton under center since 2011, but even though he is a three-time Pro Bowler, he has never been considered one of the best passers in the game. He is under contract through the 2020 season, though Cincinnati could release him without any dead money ramifications. We heard back in December that Dalton was almost certainly going to be back with the club in 2019, but in January, director of player personnel Duke Tobin left the door open for the team to draft a future replacement.
New head coach Zac Taylor, who served as the Rams’ quarterbacks coach in 2018 and whom the Bengals believe offers the same type of QB development ability as Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay, may be ready to find “his guy” in the draft and have him learn behind Dalton for a year.
It seems unlikely that the Bengals will be players for the top two signal-callers in the draft, Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins, who will probably be off the board by the time Cincinnati is on the clock with the No. 11 pick. The Bengals do have 11 picks in total this year, but the only round in which they have multiple selections is the sixth (they have five sixth-rounders), so if they want to trade up, they would likely have to dip into their 2020 draft capital.
But signal-callers like Drew Lock and Daniel Jones should be available to them if they want to go that route, and if Taylor believes in one of those players, the team may very well pull the trigger.