Bears Release CB Tracy Porter
The Bears released cornerback Tracy Porter, according to a team announcement. Porter had two years to go on the three-year, $12MM deal he signed with the Bears in 2016. Now, the Bears will carry $600K in dead money for the coming season.
The former Super Bowl hero had a decent 2015 season with Chicago, but he was unable to reprise that performance last year as he played though a knee injury. Porter finished 2016 as the 107th ranked cornerback out of 111 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. Now, the Bears are moving on from the 30-year-old (31 in August) as they look to improve their secondary.
This offseason, the Bears added free agents Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper. Even after cutting Porter, the Bears still have eight corners under contract and they are expected to consider cornerback prospects early on in the draft. At No. 3 overall, Ohio State star Marshon Lattimore is expected to be in the mix.
Bills Sign DE Ian Seau
The Bills have signed defensive end Ian Seau, according to a team announcement. He is the nephew of the late Junior Seau. 
Seau joined the Rams last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada. He survived the initial rounds of cuts, but he was let go in advance of the 53-man deadline. Seau went on to audition for teams during the 2016 season, including the Broncos, but he was unable to find a new team.
Seau, a 6’3″, 250 pound lineman, had 10 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss, and 43 total tackles as a senior at Nevada. The Bills’ offseason workout program is already underway, so Buffalo will quickly find out what he has to offer.
Late last week, the Bills signed cornerback Marcus Cromartie plus seven other players. They also hosted quarterback T.J. Yates on a visit, but there’s no deal yet.
Ravens To Re-Sign Lardarius Webb
Less than one month ago, the Ravens released Lardarius Webb. Today, the defensive back is set to return to Baltimore. The two sides are nearing agreement on a new deal, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). It will be a three-year pact with a maximum value of $10.5MM, reports Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). 
Webb, 31, was displaced by the signing of former Arizona safety Tony Jefferson. Jefferson will play a more prominent role in the Ravens secondary, but Webb can still be expected to see a good amount of playing time. Jefferson is much younger than Webb, but the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus indicated that they both played at a high level in 2016. Webb was PFF’s No. 15 ranked safety while Jefferson placed in fifth.
To date, Webb has spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore and he’s now ticketed for a ninth campaign with the Ravens. In total, he has appeared in 111 games with 82 starts. Last season, he finished with 73 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 16 games.
Bills Host QB T.J. Yates On Visit
The Bills hosted free agent quarterback T.J. Yates on a visit today, per a team announcement. 
Yates was effectively displaced in Miami this offseason when the Dolphins signed quarterback David Fales as their new QB3. Now, Yates might have an opportunity to serve as an emergency option behind Tyrod Taylor and Cardale Jones in Buffalo. It has been said that the Bills are very high on Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, so it’s not clear if they would be willing to give guaranteed money to a reserve signal caller. A player of Yates’ caliber, however, might not require any type of guarantee.
Yates, 30 in May, has only started seven games during his regular season career. Interestingly, he also has two playoff starts on his resume from his time with the Texans.
Rams Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
The Rams have signed cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, according to a team announcement. This marks yet another defensive upgrade for the Rams’ new coaching regime. 
The Rams project to start Trumaine Johnson and free agent pickup Kayvon Webster in the coming year. Behind those two, Robey-Coleman will provide depth along with Lamarcus Joyner, E.J. Gaines, Troy Hill, Blake Countess, and Michael Jordan (no, not that Michael Jordan). Both Joyner and Robey-Coleman come with slot experience, a position that is becoming more and more important in the NFL each year.
Many were taken by surprise when the Bills cut Robey-Coleman after he turned in a strong year. In fact, the corner earned a higher grade from Pro Football Focus than teammates Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. Before signing with the Rams, the Vikings, the Chargers, Dolphins, Steelers, and Titans all showed interest in the 25-year-old.
Ben Roethlisberger To Return For 2017
No surprise here, but Ben Roethlisberger is returning for another season. The Steelers quarterback has confirmed that he will be taking the field for the Steelers in 2017. 
“Informed the team I am looking forward to my 14th season. Steeler Nation will get my absolute best!,” (Twitter link).
Roethlisberger, 35, mulled retirement earlier this offseason, but the recent expectation has been that he would return for his 14th campaign. Roethlisberger has missed six games over the last two seasons, but he has still been producing at a high level. In 2016, he earned his fifth career (and third consecutive) Pro Bowl nod. In 2016, he completed 64.4% of his passes for 3,819 yards and 29 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. The Steelers went 10-4 in games with Big Ben under center.
Roethlisberger has three years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2015. He’ll turn 37 in the final year of that deal.
Miller’s Latest: Bills, Watson, Mahomes
They say that you shouldn’t draft a box safety in the top 10, but that’s not enough to get Matt Miller of Bleacher Report to cool off on LSU’s Jamal Adams. That’s because he doesn’t view him as a box safety. Yes, the Tigers had Adams playing more in the box last year, but he did more coverage work in 2015 and excelled. Anyone who thinks he’s just a box safety, Miller argues, hasn’t looked closely enough at the tape. Miller believes he can go as high as No. 3 to the Bears and “can’t see any way he falls out of the top 10.”
Here’s more from Miller:
- The buzz is that Bills GM Doug Whaley is “in love” with Deshaun Watson. In fact, Watson may be the first QB off the board if the Bills go for him at No. 10 overall. The 49ers, Bears, Jaguars, and Jets are also in the market for a QB, but some believe that might not happen in the first round.
- Tennessee edge-rusher Derek Barnett looks like a first-rounder on film, but he hasn’t done well in workouts, Miller hears. Recently, he ran a subpar 4.89 second 40-yard dash at his pro day.
- Some scouts who attended Patrick Mahomes‘ pro day weren’t super impressed by the Texas A&M product’s scripted throws . One scout said he’s a “thrower, not a passer” while another said “[he’s] got some [Colin] Kaepernick to his arm.” All in all, however, those in attendance were high on Mahomes’ arm, athleticism, and poise. Meanwhile, Miller polled six execs and they all said that Mahomes will come off the board in the first round.
- Solomon Thomas seems like a top five lock and the Jaguars really like him if he’s on the board at No. 4.
- Chad Kelly injured his wrist during his pro day, but the Ole Miss product was recently cleared to throw and do drops, Miller hears.
- John Ross‘ 4.22 second 40-yard-dash time turned a lot of heads, but teams Miller have spoken to are worried about his injury history. He has had knee injuries in the past and suffered a torn labrum that was operated on right after the combine.
49ers Sign LB Jayson DiManche
The 49ers announced the signing of linebacker Jayson DiManche. The journeyman did not play an NFL down in 2016.
We haven’t seen DiManche in live action since 2015. Even then, it was a one-game cameo with the Browns. Prior to that, he spent two seasons with the Bengals. He appeared in 28 total games for Cincinnati, appearing mostly on special teams. He has 29 total tackles to his credit over the course of his career.
At present, the Niners have 12 linebackers under contract. With the draft still on the horizon and many months to go before the start of the season, you can expect some shakeup in that area. DiManche’s deal, in all likelihood, does not include guaranteed cash.
Seahawks’ Richard Sherman Asked For Trade
Here’s a new development. Apparently, the Richard Sherman trade talk was sparked by a request from the cornerback himself, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears. 
“It has been my understanding all along that Richard Sherman was the one who initiated this. He was the one that wanted to be traded initially. The Seahawks were obliging him and his request,” Schefter said on ESPN moments ago.
To this point, the general consensus has been that the Seahawks were shopping Sherman in order to potentially unload his cumbersome contract and get him out of the locker room after clashing with head coach Pete Carroll. Both of those points may be “pros” on the Seahawks’ t-chart, but it apparently was Sherman who got the ball rolling on this trade business to begin with.
This morning, we learned that Sherman wants to join a contender, if he’s traded. One major contending club has apparently bowed out of the sweepstakes, however. The Patriots are not presently interested in acquiring Sherman.
Latest On Seahawks CB Richard Sherman
Tony Romo dominated the bandwidth here at Pro Football Rumors to begin the week, but it’s been all Richard Sherman as of late. The Seahawks cornerback has been discussed with rival teams, GM John Schneider has confirmed, and a (lofty) asking price has been set. For what it’s worth, Sherman has flip-flopped publicly on whether he thinks he’ll wind up getting traded, but he’s now found a diplomatic and measured middle ground.
Will Sherman get traded? Where might he wind up? Here’s the latest on the leader of the Legion of Boom:
- Now that he’s a bit more realistic about the possibility of a trade, Sherman has given some thought as to where he might like to play. Unsurprisingly, if he gets dealt, he wants to go to a contender. “Richard Sherman is talking to some people,” Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald told PFT. “He wants to play in Super Bowls or have a chance to compete in Super Bowls, so he has some degree of leverage as to where this train goes.” Salguero presently does not see a trade coming together because of Seattle’s high sticker price.
- The best timing for a Sherman trade would be during the draft, Mike Florio of PFT opines. If Seattle trades for a particular pick ahead of time, they’ll potentially be telegraphing their desired target, and that could leave them open to getting leapfrogged. Pulling the trigger while the draft is in progress would help the Seahawks guarantee that their man is still on the board. Alternatively, Florio suggests a hush-hush handshake agreement between the Seahawks and another team on a deal that is contingent on Player X being available at Pick Y. Of course, that would require a high level of secrecy, and a deal of this magnitude could be hard to keep under wraps.
- Former NFL executive and current ESPN.com analyst Joe Banner sees the Darrelle Revis trade of 2013 as a possible comp for a Sherman deal. The Jets received a first-round pick in 2013 and a fourth-round pick in 2014 in exchange for the corner. Meanwhile, Sheil Kapadia huddled up with his fellow beat writers to figure out landing spots that would make sense for Sherman. The writers say the Saints, Packers, Titans, and Patriots all make varying degrees of sense.