Packers Claim DT Ego Ferguson Off Waivers
The Packers have found defensive line help from an unlikely source. Green Bay has claimed Ego Ferguson off of waivers from the Bears, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Ferguson, a second-round pick of the Bears’ old regime, was released last week. His exit from Chicago was a long time coming. He played in only four games in 2015 due to injuries and a suspension. Then, he missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. In total, he played in only 20 games since being drafted in 2014. In that time, the 25-year-old (26 in September) compiled 26 tackles, two sacks, and three passes defended. That’s not quite what Phil Emery had in mind when drafting him.
The Packers have gotten an up-close look at Ferguson over the past three years or so and they apparently feel that he still has something to offer. If Ferguson can get on the right track, stay healthy, and make the team, he could get multiple opportunities to make the Bears regret letting him go.
No Deal Yet For Patriots, Adrian Peterson
There’s no deal between the Patriots and Adrian Peterson. At least, not yet. Peterson left his visit with New England without a contract, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Of course, the two sides could revisit a potential deal later, but he won’t be signing with the defending champs today. 
Peterson’s meeting with the Patriots marked his second free agent visit in this cycle. He visited with the Seahawks, but Seattle’s signing of Eddie Lacy probably takes them off the board. The Giants, Texans, and Raiders were also linked to No. 28 after the Vikings declined his option, but so far we’ve only heard word of those teams not having interest. Right now, it’s hard to say where Peterson will wind up. It could be a while before he lands.
The Patriots, on some level, would make sense for Peterson. The future Hall of Famer is looking for an opportunity to win a Super Bowl ring and the Patriots might give him a better chance than anyone. Also, running back LeGarrette Blount remains in limbo and Peterson would be strong replacement if he is not re-signed. By the same token, Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been critical of Peterson’s off-field missteps in the past and it’s not clear if he’d be willing to overlook the child abuse allegations that came about three years ago.
For now, both the Patriots and Peterson are in a holding pattern. Peterson will continue to try and find some team with genuine interest in signing him right away. The Pats, meanwhile, will continue to negotiate with Blount and it’s possible that their Peterson powwow could help speed things along.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
NFL Draft Rumors: Browns, Cook, Lattimore
The Browns are hosting Florida State running back Dalvin Cook on a visit today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). There are a handful of other big-name guys with Cook, including Takkarist McKinley, Quincy Wilson, and Joe Mixon, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.
The Browns own the Nos. 1 and 12 overall picks in this year’s draft. Cook widely projects as a mid-to-late first-round pick, so he could theoretically be in range at No. 12. It also stands to reason that the Browns are open to wheeling and dealing, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what first-round picks they’ll hold when it comes time in late April.
Cleveland has tethered restricted free agent Isaiah Crowell with a tender and the Browns also slated to have Duke Johnson Jr. return in 2017. Running back might not be their top need, but they’ll be open to improving their team in any way possible.
Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:
- Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore is visiting the Bears today, a source tells Rapoport (on Twitter). The Bears pick at No. 3 and they could consider Lattimore, the player widely considered to be this year’s top cornerback. The Bears’ top corners, as of this writing, are Cre’Von LeBlanc and Prince Amukamara.
- Wide receiver John Ross will visit with the Titans, NFL Media’s Chase Goodbread writes. Several recent mock drafts have connected Ross to the Titans at No. 18 overall. Tennessee has been in the market for wide receiver upgrades but Eric Weems currently stands as their highest impact free agent addition at the position. Ross’ blazing speed has caught the attention of talent evaluators across the league and his stock appears to be soaring.
- UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley is visiting the Browns, Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals all in a row, Rapoport tweets. We heard last month that he would visit with some of these AFC North teams, but we now know that he’ll be polishing off the AFC North in rapid succession.
- University of Washington cornerback Kevin King is visiting the Jets on Monday (today), according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). The Jets are looking to upgrade their secondary and King could be a consideration at No. 39 overall. However, with more and more buzz surrounding the corner, they might have to look into acquiring a pick somewhere between their No. 6 overall pick and their second-round choice if they want him. King has the makings of a Day 1 pick and Dallas could be eyeing him at No. 28.
- The Steelers and Giants have been all over quarterback workouts this year and it leads Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) to believe that they’ll each target a QB in the middle rounds.
Redskins To Sign LB Zach Brown
The Redskins have agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Zach Brown, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal is pending a physical. Brown signed a one-year deal worth a maximum value of $4.65MM, including a $500K signing bonus (Twitter link).Brown was once said to be seeking a multi-year pact in the $6MM range, but this isn’t a bad outcome for an April signing.
Brown, one of only four PFR Top 50 free agents who were unsigned going into Monday, was linked to several clubs in recent weeks. Ultimately, it’s the Redskins that are coming away with him, but the Raiders, Dolphins, Colts, and the incumbent Bills all showed varying levels of interest. The Raiders and Dolphins were said to be the two finalists for Brown, but word later leaked out that the Fins were not likely to sign him. The Colts may have backed out after adding fellow linebacker Sean Spence.
The Redskins have starting linebackers Mason Foster and restricted free agent Will Compton returning to the fold this year. Brown, it seems, will come in as an upgrade over Compton. Compton ranked as the No. 74 linebacker in the league last season, per Pro Football Focus, while Brown placed 17th.
After racking up 149 total tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles for the Bills last season, Brown entered March with hopes of cashing in. Ultimately, his age and lack of history as a top quality ‘backer hampered his market and limited his list of suitors.
Texans Not Interested In Tony Romo Trade?
Tony Romo has long been linked to the Texans, but it sounds as though the Texans do not want to trade for him. Or, at minimum, they are working hard to give off that impression. The Cowboys’ asking price remains too high for Houston’s liking and they are still not interested in working out a deal with Jerry Jones, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Open Tony Romo Trade Talks]
With a talented defense already in place, a quality quarterback might be the team’s biggest need as they look to position themselves as contenders for 2017. As it stands, Tom Savage is the team’s No. 1 QB. Romo offers far more experience, but he also comes with injury concerns and a bloated contract. It’s also not clear what Jones is seeking in a trade and it’s possible he could place a premium on an intra-state swap. It would make sense for the Texans to have sincere interest in the veteran, but they might also be better served by waiting things out to see if Dallas might release him instead.
Lately, Broncos GM John Elway has been saying that he is content to go into the season with Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch as his top quarterbacks. In theory, that could leave the Texans as the most likely landing spot for Romo, but right now they are unwilling to play ball with the Cowboys.
Cowboys Open Tony Romo Trade Talks
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has notified all NFL GMs they are permitted to contact Tony Romo or his agent to schedule a workout, visit, or physical, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, Dallas informed clubs they are “limited to conversations concerning (Romo’s) 2017-19 NFL player contract,” in order to facilitate a trade. Jones, it appears, is trying to safeguard against a team negotiating a potential contract with Romo if he were to be released. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Notes: Safeties, Bell]
Lately, it’s been hard to get a read on what will happen with Romo. Early indications were that he would be released, allowing him to sign with a contending club like the Broncos or Texans. In recent weeks, Jones has apparently had a change of heart. The Cowboys first want to see if they can get something of substance in return for their longtime star. Romo also has serious interest from both CBS and FOX. CBS, apparently, is interested in giving him Phil Simms’ high-paying and prestigious job as the network’s top NFL color commentator.
Romo last played full-time during the 2014 season, when he completed a league-high 69.9% of his passes for 3,705 yards and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. Romo has three years left remaining on his current deal, and an acquiring club would take on base salaries of $14MM, $19.5MM, and $20.5MM over the next three respective campaigns. A trade would also leave the Cowboys will roughly $20MM in dead money.
Bills To Audition Patrick Mahomes
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will have a private workout with the Bills next week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is the latest in a long line of reported workouts for the Texas Tech product. 
[RELATED: Pegula Says Doug Whaley, Sean McDermott Work Well Together]
What makes this work out particularly interesting is the Bills’ long-term situation at quarterback. Rather than exercising Tyrod Taylor‘s hefty multi-year option this offseason, the two sides worked out a last-minute agreement to effectively keep Taylor in Buffalo through 2017. After that, the Bills will have a similar decision on their hands: they can keep Taylor for an additional season, but only $1MM of his $10MM salary for 2018 is guaranteed.
The Bills could give Taylor the peace of mind of being the team’s unquestioned top signal caller in 2017. Alternatively, they could look into taking a developmental quarterback right now, giving them a safety net in the event that Taylor falters. Right now, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the Bills are serious about taking Mahomes as his stock continues to rise. It’s possible that they simply are doing due diligence on a top prospect, as most teams do during this time of year.
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Possible Injury For Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly
This could be bad news for Chad Kelly. The former Ole Miss quarterback left his pro day after just 12 throws, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s not immediately clear whether it’s his throwing hand, but he presumably wouldn’t have shut down his pro day if it were a non-throwing hand injury. Specifically, it’s a wrist injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’s currently weighing whether he can return. 
Kelly was once viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2017 draft class. Unfortunately, he has major question marks surrounding him due to off-the-field issues and injury problems. A hand injury, if serious, will only hurt his stock even more. Before coming to Ole Miss, Kelly was tossed out of Clemson’s program for conduct detrimental to the team and had to spend a year at a community college. Last month, Kelly had to be held back during a brawl at a high school football game. Incidents like those plus his recent major surgery have put everything into flux.
Kelly recently received a go-ahead from Dr. James Andrews for a “35-45 play script” at the pro day. Kelly, according to his agent, came into today’s audition about 85% recovered from ACL and lateral meniscus tears.
AFC East Notes: Peterson, Patriots, Jets
Adrian Peterson could be a tough sell for Patriots ownership, Mike Florio of PFT opines. The Pats are hosting the former Minnesota great on a visit, but Florio wonders aloud if the meeting designed solely to put pressure on free agent LeGarrette Blount. Despite his impressive on-field resume, Peterson’s off-field history could be tough for owner Robert Kraft to swallow. At the time of Peterson’s child-abuse charges, Kraft called the allegations “completely unacceptable and as abhorrent” as the Ray Rice situation. Less than three years later, Kraft likely feels the same way.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- The Jets are expecting to see Muhammad Wilkerson step it up in 2017, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Last year, coach Todd Bowles gave the defensive lineman something of a pass due to his health situation. Now, he’s giving different indications. “I’m sure he played hurt most of the year,” he said. “We had to give him some off-days. Usually, those things take about a year-and-a-half to come back from. He came back early and gutted it out. It shows the kind of warrior he is. Hopefully, he’s gotten better and he can go back to being himself.” Wilkerson’s level of play in 2016 isn’t quite what they had in mind when they signed him to an extension with $37MM fully guaranteed.
- The Dolphins reportedly have interest in Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton, but they’re far from alone in that pursuit.
- Bills free agent agent linebacker Zach Brown, meanwhile, is unlikely to come to join up with the Dolphins. Brown ranks as PFR’s top free agent linebacker left, ahead of Perry Riley, Gerald Hodges, and DeAndre Levy. He’s also one of the most talented free agents remaining on the board at any position.
Lions Sign LB Nick Bellore
The Lions have signed linebacker Nick Bellore, according to a team announcement. Bellore was previously with the Niners and entered the league with the Jets.
Bellore is primarily known for his special teams work, but he did get reps on defense last year with San Francisco. In 2016, he had ten starts on defense and finished out with 83 tackles, one sack, one interception, and a forced fumble. For his work in 692 snaps, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 61 linebacker in the NFL last season out of 87 qualified players. His run defense left much to be desired, per the advanced metrics, but his solid coverage score helped boost his overall grade.
It remains to be seen how Detroit will use him, but it seems like he’ll provide linebacker depth as well as special teams help. Bellore went to college at Central Michigan, so this is something of a homecoming for the 27-year-old.