AFC Notes: Ravens, Broncos Titans, Patriots
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is set to hold a top-30 visit with the Ravens, which is expected to be one of his final — if not his final — visit with an NFL team prior to the upcoming draft, per Albert Breer of MMQB (on Twitter). The Ravens hold the No. 16 overall pick in the draft.
Jackson has visited with several teams leading up to the draft, including the Browns, who hold the No. 1, 4 and 33 overall picks. Jackson elected to not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine or his pro day. He’s also had a private workout with the Texans and all 32 teams attended his pro day.
The Ravens made quarterback news earlier this week by signing Robert Griffin III to a one-year, $1MM deal. The Ravens decided to not re-sign Ryan Mallett, who backed up Joe Flacco last season. Griffin, who has not appeared in an NFL contest since making five starts for the Browns in 2016, is joined by Josh Woodrum as the current backups to Flacco heading into training camp.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Iowa center James Daniels will be visiting with NFL teams this week and the Broncos are on that list, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter). Daniels is expected to go near the second round of the upcoming draft. Connor McGovern is currently projected to start at center for the Broncos.
- Steve Watterson is retiring from his post as the Titans‘ strength and conditioning coach — they announced in a release Friday — after 32 years with the team. Tom Kanavy, who has 22 years of experience in the NFL, will take over the position.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) has the details on the Patriots‘ contracts for tight end Troy Niklas and offensive lineman Luke Bowanko.
- Earlier Friday, we learned that the Chiefs promoted Dave Toub as their associate head coach to go along with his role as Kansas City’s special teams coordinator.
Jadeveon Clowney Extension With Texans Not Imminent
A long-term deal between the Texans and Jadeveon Clowney isn’t imminent but it’s still viewed as an eventuality to happen, league sources told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Wilson also noted that the deal is expected to be a “blockbuster” when signed. 
The news comes after it was reported Thursday by Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) that a deal was close and would be completed by training camp at the latest. Wilson said he expects a deal to get completed sometime this offseason as well. Clowney, who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, expressed interest in remaining with the Texans earlier in the offseason.
“I want to be [in Houston] forever. It would be great, something I always dreamed of. I don’t want to leave this team,” Clowney said in late March. “I’ve been here since the beginning. I want to stay here. I want to finish my career here, so I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully, they lock me in.”
Wilson also reported in late March that the Texans had a positive outlook on getting a deal done for the former No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina.
Clowney, 25, had a career-high 9 1/2 sacks and 59 tackles last season to go with 2o tackles for a loss. He was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and is due to make $12.306MM for his fifth-year option after being classified as a linebacker earlier this offseason.
It’s likely Clowney will take the spot as the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL when he signs a new deal. That designation currently belongs to Von Miller, who signed a six-year $114MM contract with the Broncos, with $70MM guaranteed.
Broncos Sign LS Casey Kreiter To Tender
It appears the Broncos have found their long snapper to pair with newly-signed punter Marquette King, signing Casey Kreiter to an exclusive-rights tender, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. The team has yet to announce the deal. 
The Broncos signed Kreiter prior to the 2016 season and he played in 10 games before being placed on injured reserve. He appeared in all 16 games last season for Denver.
The Cowboys originally signed Kreiter as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2014. He competed in the Cowboys’ training camp in 2014 and ’15 but was unable to win the starting job either season.
Kreiter, 27, will provide a familiar face within the Broncos’ special teams unit that’s seen a shakeup this offseason. Kicker Brandon McManus is expected to return but the team added King at punter while letting Bennie Fowler and Cody Latimer depart in free agency.
The Broncos currently don’t have another long snapper on their roster outside of Kreiter.
Thomas Davis Suspended For Violating PED Policy
Panthers veteran linebacker Thomas Davis announced Friday (on Twitter) that he’s been suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. This is Davis’ first suspension for violating the league’s PED policy.
“This is by far one of the saddest days of my NFL career,” Davis said in the tweet, which was accompanied by a video. “I never thought that this would happen to me. I’ve worked extremely hard to do things the right way on and off the field. Panther Nation please know that I am not a cheater.
The Panthers have yet to comment on the suspension. Davis said in the video that he was “caught off guard” when he received a positive test for what he said he was an estrogen blocker supplement.
“I’ve taken the same supplements for the last seven or eight years and never had any issues, been tested numerous times over the years while taking the same stuff,” Davis said in the video. “Unfortunately, this is some of the things that happen when you take supplements. I’ve never tested positive for steroids or HGH. This is not one of those situations.”
Davis, 35, had indicated that 2018 would be his last season but said in the video that it might not be due to the suspension. He’s spent all 13 seasons of his career with Carolina, including three Pro Bowl appearances and winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2014.
Davis was set to start at outside linebacker in the Panthers’ 4-3 scheme, with Shaq Thompson on the other edge and Luke Kuechly in the middle. Ben Jacobs, Richie Brown and David Mayo are likely to see an uptick in playing time during Thompson’s absence.
Browns Trade QB Kevin Hogan To Redskins
The Browns have traded away another quarterback, sending Kevin Hogan and a sixth-round pick (No. 205 overall)to the Redskins for a sixth-round pick (No. 188 overall), with both teams announcing the deal. The Browns had acquired the sixth-round pick used in the deal from the Patriots in exchange for Jason McCourty
Hogan, 25, is the third quarterback to be traded from the Browns this offseason. They also sent Cody Kessler to the Jaguars and DeShone Kizer to the Packers. They received a conditional seventh-round pick for Kessler and cornerback Damarious Randall in exchange for Kizer.
The Browns also added Tyrod Taylor, who coach Hue Jackson said will enter the season as the starter, and long-time backup quarterback Drew Stanton. They’re set to take a quarterback with either the first or fourth overall picks of the upcoming draft as well.
Hogan joins a Redskins quarterback contingent that includes Colt McCoy and Stephen Morris behind newly-acquired Alex Smith. The Stanford alum had received permission from the Browns on Thursday to allow his agent to seek out a trade with another team.
The Chiefs drafted Hogan in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and he was cut prior to the regular season. He signed with the Browns shortly after and has appeared in eight games, including a start, over the last two seasons in Cleveland. The start came last year and it came in a losing effort to the Texans in Week 6.
Raiders Sign DE Armonty Bryant
The Raiders have announced the signing of free-agent defensive end Armonty Bryant, who last appeared in five games for the Lions in 2016. Bryant became the Raiders’ second free-agent addition to their defense Friday, also signed cornerback Senquez Golson.
Bryant, 27, had three sacks, four tackles and forced a fumble in his time with the Lions, his only season with the team. They released him after he was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and he didn’t appear in a game last season.
The terms of Bryant’s deal have yet to be reported. He had a career-high 5 1/2 sacks while playing in 14 games in 2015 with the Browns, who drafted him in the seventh round of the 2013 draft out of East Central (Okla.).
Bryant is the Raider’ second addition to their defensive line via free agency. The team also signed former 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine to a one-year deal.
Khalil Mack and Mario Edwards Jr. are slated to start at defensive end for the Raiders. They also have Jihad Ward, James Cowser, Fadol Brown and Joby Saint Fleur on the roster at defensive end, along with Bryant and Carradine.
Raiders Sign CB Senquez Golson
The Raiders continued to add to their secondary this offseason by signing free-agent cornerback Senquez Golson, per a team release. The terms of the deal have yet to be reported.
The Steelers made Golson a second-round pick in 2015 but he never played a down in his career with them. He spent the first two years of his career on injured reserve. He suffered another injury in the 2017 preseason and was waived by the Steelers. He was signed to the Buccaneers’ practice squad but was released shortly after and has yet to appear in a regular-season game.
The Raiders have been busy adding pieces to their secondary this offseason. They signed cornerback Rashaan Melvin to a one-year, $5.5MM deal, safety Marcus Gilchrist to a one-year, $4MM deal, cornerback Leon Hall to a one-year, $1.01MM deal, cornerback Shareece Wright to a one-year, $1.01MM deal and re-signed Reggie Nelson to a one-year deal.
Melvin and Gareon Conley are projected to start at cornerback, with Reggie Nelson and Karl Joseph projected to start at safety. The team parted ways with cornerbacks David Amerson and Sean Smith earlier this offseason.
Chiefs Hosting Kerwynn Williams For Visit
The Chiefs are bringing in free-agent running back Kerwynn Williams for a visit, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Williams started in six games for the Cardinals last season as part of the replacement contingent for David Johnson.
It was the most starts for Williams in his five-year career. He posted a career-best 426 yards rushing last season and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. The Colts originally took Williams in the seventh round of the 2013 draft out of Utah State and he also spent time with the Chargers before signing with the Cardinals in 2014.
If signed, Williams would mark the second addition to the Chiefs backfield this offseason through free agency. They signed Damien Williams to a one-year, $1.5MM deal in late March.
Both would likely back up Kareem Hunt, who had a breakout rookie season for the Chiefs after being taken in the third round of last year’s draft and rushed for 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns. The team also has Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West and Akeem Hunt on the roster. The Chiefs also re-signed De’Anthony Thomas to a one-year $880K deal. t
The Chiefs signed wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a three-year deal as well to serve as another weapon for second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
West Notes: Raiders, McKinnon, Broncos
In a fairly surprising move, the Raiders released punter Marquette King earlier this week. Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area looked into some of the options the Raiders have in replacing their punter of the last five seasons.
As Bair notes, there’s not much out there for the Raiders in free agency. Brad Wing is the only active punter on the market with full-time experience from last season, serving as the Giants’ starter. But Wing graded out as last in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, out of the league’s qualified punters.
The Raiders also have former UC Davis punter Colby Wadman on their roster, though he has yet to record a punt in his brief NFL career.
That leaves the draft as the most likely place for the Raiders to find their replacement at the position. Bair identifies Texas’ Michael Dickson — who won last year’s Ray Guy Award — Alabama’s JK Scott, Bowling Green’s Joseph Davidson and Florida’s Johnny Townsend as potential options to be taken in the draft.
The departure of King is just one of several shakeups to the Raiders special teams this offseason. The team also cut long-time kicker Sebastian Janikowski and long-snapper Jon Condo.
Here’s more from around the AFC/NFC West
- Jerick McKinnon‘s versatility in comparison to Carlos Hyde, who signed with the Browns this offseason, has the 49ers ecstatic about their most-recent addition at running back. “Everyone talks about running back and stuff – they need a new position to name people,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “Because he plays running back and receiver and tight end – he does all that. You use him the same way you use all these positions. He’s a very good running back. But he also brings a lot of other stuff to the table.”
- While speaking on the “Ben and Skin Show” on Dallas’ 105.3 FM The Fan, Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders did not speak highly on the physicality of the Cowboys’ secondary, stemming from the teams’ Week 2 matchup last season, which the Broncos won 42-17. “Honestly and truthfully, you know, what I’m going to say… I hope it’s not a shot to nobody but maybe in that game — this is what I saw, it’s the honest truth — I saw a defense that really, truly wasn’t physical. That’s what I felt when I was playing against those guys. In terms of the safeties coming down and hitting me, it’s an old term called ‘sticking your hand in the fan.’ Just unphysical. They weren’t physical at all. I’ve been in the league nine years and after that game, I felt like they were scared or something. That’s the kind of vibe that I had gotten. … I promise, this is not something I’m making up right now. I told everybody after that game that’s how I felt when I played against the Cowboys. Maybe they weren’t scared but I don’t know. … I know what a physical defense looks like and I just didn’t feel it out of that defense.”
- On Saturday, we learned that the Rams plan to play newly-signed Ndamukong Suh at nose tackle in their base 3-4 defense, with Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers on the edges.
AFC Notes: Colts, Patriots, Jaguars, Bills
While Colts owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard might see the team in somewhat of a rebuilding stage, that’s not how newly-hired head coach Frank Reich is going to look at the upcoming season.
“I get that there’s certain positions in the organization where there are different perspectives,” Reich said to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. “And I think it’s mature to be able to say something can be both hands. But as a coach, I’m not both hands. I’m not being paid to (see) both hands. Other guys are being paid to see the rebuilding and have the patience. I’m not being paid for that. There’s not one ounce of me being patient. There’s not one ounce of me that thinks we are in a rebuilding project.
“Every ounce of me feels that we are winning this year.”
The Colts finished at 4-12 last season — their worst finish since 2011 when they were in between the Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck eras — and have missed out on the playoffs the last three years. Luck’s health is certainly a question mark, but the team’s decision to trade back in the first round of the draft should be viewed as a positive sign. Indianapolis has been fairly quiet in the free-agent market, with the additions of defensive end Denico Autry (three years, $17.8MM) and tight end Eric Ebron (two years, $13MM) serving as its biggest splashes.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- ESPN’s Mike Reiss opines that the Patriots should look at the Eagles and how they handled losing Jason Peters last season to help fill their own question marks at left tackle, with the loss of Nate Solder. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, a fifth-round pick in 2016, stepped in admirably to replace Peters amidst the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. Reiss points to unheralded players like LaAdrian Waddle, Cole Croston and Matt Tobin that could be developed in similar ways. It’s also possible the team will address the position with the No. 31 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
- Mel Kiper Jr. had the Jaguars taking Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore (Maryland) with the No. 29 pick in his latest mock draft. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union points out that Moore played for current wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell at Maryland where he was a wide receivers coach for two seasons.
- In his latest mock draft, Peter Schrager of NFL Network projects the Bills to trade up for the Colts’ No. 6 pick in the draft and select Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Bills currently hold the 12th and 22nd overall picks in the draft.