Chiefs Host Gavin Escobar On Visit
Cowboys free agent tight end Gavin Escobar is visiting the Chiefs today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We have Escobar ranked as the fourth-best TE still available in free agency. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Host Rey Maualuga On Visit]
The Cowboys took Escobar in the second round of the 2013 draft with the hope that he would become a major receiving threat. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition. The San Diego State product had just 30 catches over four years with the Cowboys and they didn’t make much of an attempt to re-sign him this offseason. His best year came in 2014 when he had four touchdowns, but that came off of just nine catches.
The Chiefs currently have four tight ends under contract: Travis Kelce, Demetrius Harris, James O’Shaughnessy, and Ross Travis. Whether he signs with KC or another club, he’ll likely have to settle for a non-guaranteed deal.
AFC Notes: Fins, Jets, Bills, Colts
The Dolphins intend to keep core offensive players together through 2020, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. That group includes quarterback Ryan Tannehill and starting receivers Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, and DeVante Parker. The Dolphins already have Tannehill and Stills locked down and they can effectively say the same for Parker thanks to his fifth-year option and the franchise tag. That just leaves Landry, who is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2017 season.
More from the AFC:
- The Jets are holding a private workout Thursday for North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gang Green has three quarterbacks on its roster – Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty – but head coach Todd Bowles indicated Wednesday that the club could select one with the sixth pick. Trubisky might come into play there.
- The idea that the Bills are preparing to part with general manager Doug Whaley is “erroneous,” owner Terry Pegula told reporters Wednesday (via Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle). Pegula also dismissed the notion that there’s discord between Whaley and rookie head coach Sean McDermott, pointing to their mutual decision to keep quarterback Tyrod Taylor as evidence that they’re in lockstep. “That was Doug and Sean working very diligently, digging up everything, directions we could go and what not and the decision was unanimous that we bring Tyrod back with the new contract and we’re all happy with that,” he said.
- At its core, the Dwayne Allen trade was about accountability for the Colts, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes, but there was more to it. Allen didn’t always live up to his contract, but beyond that, dealing him to the Patriots was also about creating more opportunities for tight ends Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope. “Look, Dwayne Allen was a great pro and a good guy,” GM Chris Ballard said. “That was a really hard decision to make because he’s a great person. But sometimes to let a player take another step, you have to move on from a guy. And I think Swoope’s got a lot of talent. We’ll see. I thought we saw signs of progression last year that were exciting to see. He’s got to take another step. And we’ll see if he does it or not.”
- Speaking of the Colts, they “will not be timid about moving around in the draft,” according to Ballard, who doesn’t believe the team has enough picks. The Colts are slated to pick seven times, including 15th overall, and “wouldn’t hesitate to trade down” because “that would be something that we think could really benefit us,” Ballard told Kevin Bowen of the team’s website.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Vikings DT Sharrif Floyd’s Career In Jeopardy
Awful news for Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. His career is in jeopardy due to complications from last fall’s knee surgery, sources tell Tom Pelissero of USA Today. 
[RELATED: Vikings Likely To Sign Backup Quarterback]
The nerve that controls Floyd’s quad muscle was disrupted during meniscus surgery and the situation has not improved in the last six months. Because his fifth-year option was guaranteed for injury, the Vikings had no choice but to keep him on the roster beyond the March 9 deadline. Whether he can take the field or not in 2017, he’ll earn a base salary of roughly $6.8MM.
Floyd, 26 in May, had a strong 2015 but his 2016 campaign ended when he went down in the season opener. For his career, the former first-round pick has appeared in 44 games with 24 starts, missing two games in 2014, three games in 2015, and just about every game in 2016. In that span, he has amassed 9.5 sacks and 95 tackles. His Pro Football Focus in 2015 cast him as a top 50 interior defensive lineman in the league while his 2014 PFF posting placed him in the top ten.
AFC North Rumors: Ravens, Jernigan, Browns
The Ravens should only trade Timmy Jernigan if they can get a second-day draft pick in return, and that seems unlikely, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. There has been speculation that the defensive tackle could be on the block and coach John Harbaugh didn’t do much to slow down that talk when asked about it earlier this week. Jernigan, who is entering his contract year, appeared in every regular season game last season and totaled five sacks. He seemed to run out of gas towards the end of the season and his playing time was slashed down the stretch, but he still stands as Baltimore’s only interior pass-rush threat.
Here’s more from the AFC North:
- Given that the Browns signed free agent center J.C. Tretter to a three-year pact, former first-round pick Cameron Erving will now shift to right tackle, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Erving, 24, started 12 games at center in 2016, but finished the season at right tackle after the Cleveland coaching staff saw enough of his struggles in the middle. The Browns will stage a competition on the right side, as Erving, Shon Coleman, Matt McCants, Spencer Drango, and Zach Sterup will all vie for the starting job. Austin Pasztor, Cleveland’s right tackle last season, is an unrestricted free agent.
- Running back Cedric Peerman‘s one-year deal with the Bengals is worth $1.15MM, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. The pact includes $100K guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus and comes with a $900K base salary. Peerman, a special teams ace, also gets $100K in per-game roster bonuses, a $50K workout bonus, and can earn $300K in rushing and receiving yard incentives.
- Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant is still awaiting word on reinstatement.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Saints To Sign S Rafael Bush
The Saints are signing safety Rafael Bush, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, per a team announcement. This marks a return to New Orleans for Bush after spending the 2016 season with the Lions. 
Heading into Thursday, we had Bush ranked as the sixth-best safety available on the open market. Bush primarily saw time at free safety during his first New Orleans stint, but last year the Lions utilized him at a number of spots in the secondary. All in all, he finished out with 48 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and his first career sack. He appeared in every regular season contest, including four starts. Bush finished out as the 65th best safety in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. It was a solid showing after a torn pectoral muscle limited him to only one game in 2015.
Bush now joins a crowded safety depth chart that includes starters Vonn Bell and Kenny Vaccaro plus reserves Robenson Therezie, Chris Banjo, Shiloh Keo, and Erik Harris. Bush now becomes the first “new” secondary player to join the Saints in this calendar year.
Seahawks Rumors: Sherman, Carroll, Shead
Here’s the latest on Sherman and the Seahawks:
- When asked about the trade rumors surrounding him, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman seemed to take a different tone than he did just a few weeks ago. “I wouldn’t want to leave this city and my guys, but understand it’s a business and organizational philosophies change,” (Twitter link via Gee Scott of 710 ESPN). Previously, Sherman was laughing off the trade talk. Now, he seems to be making peace with the idea that he could be shipped elsewhere. Earlier this week, coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that the Seahawks have discussed a potential Sherman trade with other teams, but added that he doesn’t see it happening.
- On many levels, trading Sherman would be a monumental gamble for the Seahawks, Kapadia writes. The Seahawks are ready to compete for a Super Bowl right now and he’s a star player who has never missed a game in his NFL career. It’s also hard to see a deal coming together given his salary and the team’s likely asking price. Kapadia wonders aloud if the Seahawks’ public posturing could be a way to send a message to Sherman, letting him know that he is not untouchable. Of course, that could also backfire and create an ugly situation.
- Carroll would be “really surprised” if Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead made it back for Week 1 as he recovers from his knee injury, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com tweets. Shead was non-tendered this offseason suffered an ACL and meniscus tear in the playoffs. However, the team later re-signed him to a one-year, $1.5MM deal with $1MM fully guaranteed at signing. Shead started 15 games for Seattle in 2016 and probably figures to be a big part of their gameplan for 2017. Unfortunately, it might take a while before they can get him back on the field.
Extra Points: Hardy, Giants, Kizer
An Indoor Football League team held a fan vote to determine whether it would sign Greg Hardy and the results are in. Fans of Salt Lake Screaming Eagles have voted against signing the controversial defensive end, as ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell writes. The vote barely went against Hardy with 50.1% of fans voting against him, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer tweets.
If the vote went through, the 28-year-old would have been in uniform for Friday night’s game against the Colorado Crush. As far as we know, the upcoming Spring League will be Hardy’s next stop in football. If that doesn’t work out, he can always shift his attention back towards MMA.
Here’s more from the NFL, as well as news on the Spring League:
- Giants offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan attended Notre Dame’s pro day to get a look at quarterback DeShone Kizer, James Kratch of NJ.com writes. Drafting Kizer would be an opportunity for the Giants to reprise Green Bay’s Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers scenario, meaning that they would forge ahead with Eli Manning as the starter while taking their time to groom his successor. The Giants are slated to pick at No. 23 and again at No. 55 in the second round. Kizer could be available at No. 23 but odds are he won’t be there near the backend of the second round.
- The coaching staffs for the upcoming Spring League will include Donnie Henderson, Terry Shea, Steve Fairchild, and Denny Creehan, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. Henderson previously served as the defensive coordinator of the Jets and Lions and most recently was with the Bills’ coaching staff. Shea, a former offensive coordinator for the Bears and quarterbacks coach for the Chiefs, Dolphins, and Rams, has not coached high-level football in nearly a decade.
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Details On Chase Daniel’s Saints Deal
Chase Daniel will be making solid money for a backup quarterback, but not in the conventional way. His Saints contract will pay him a guaranteed base salary of $900K, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT. The real money comes in the form of guaranteed cash still owed to him by the Eagles. 
Daniel’s deal with Philly included $5MM in guaranteed salary, so he’ll collect on $4.1MM from his former team with the remainder coming from New Orleans. On top of that, he can earn as much as $3MM through incentives, but I would speculate that those bonuses will be tied to playing time. If that’s the case, the only real opportunity to make that extra money will be if Drew Brees gets hurt and Daniel fills in. Because the Eagles agreed to reduce his offset to $2MM, they would get the first $1.1MM of any incentive payments, according to Florio. All in all, that means Daniel can personally max out at $6.9MM for the coming year.
Florio also hears that Daniel was offered better contracts by other teams. Ostensibly, Daniel chose New Orleans for the opportunity to replace the aging Brees as well as his familiarity with the organization. It’s not clear which teams were also in the mix for his services, but Daniel did meet with the Jets before agreeing to sign with the Saints.
AFC West Rumors: LT, Raiders, San Antonio
LaDainian Tomlinson has joined the Chargers as a “Special Assistant to the owner of the team,” according to a press release. It sounds like Tomlinson will not have a part in front office decisions as his job will focus more on fan relations. His presence could help smooth over tensions with San Diegans who are feeling scorned by the team’s relocation to Los Angeles.
“L.T. is one of the most beloved and iconic Chargers of all time,” said Chairman Dean Spanos in the statement. “His active involvement in our fight for Los Angeles is vital, and he represents the very best of what it means to be a Charger on the field and in the community.”
Here’s more from the AFC West:
- It sounds like we won’t see major progress in the Raiders‘ extension talks with Derek Carr until May or later. “He knows what we’re trying to do in free agency, and he’s never saying, ‘I need to know now. It’s not like that,” GM Reggie McKenzie said, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “More likely, the serious talks will happen after the draft. The communication has been ongoing, just talking about the philosophy of a contract and the thought process around it. Hopefully when the serious talks start going, then it’s going to be easier.” McKenzie also indicated that an extension could be on the way for right guard Gabe Jackson. The Raiders will also discuss a new deal with Khalil Mack, but they have more time on that front thanks to his option for the 2018 season.
- Multiple cities have reached out to the Raiders expressing interest in being their temporary home, including San Antonio, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. It’s possible that we could see the Raiders make a pit stop on the way from Oakland to Las Vegas.
- The Broncos will add a third quarterback, but that player is likely to be a young veteran or a rookie.
- The Chiefs hosted linebacker Rey Maualuga on a visit this week.
T.J. McDonald Suspended For Eight Games
Free agent safety T.J. McDonald has been suspended for the first eight games of the 2017 season, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). McDonald, he adds, just had his first free agent visit with the Dolphins. The suspension stems his May 2016 DUI arrest, which included drug charges (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
McDonald is ranked as our No. 1 available safety in free agency and is one of the highest-ranked players remaining on my Top 50 Free Agents list, which ranked players based on projected earning power. Apparently, McDonald won’t be making anywhere near what we expected, thanks in part to the pending ban.
McDonald, a hard hitting defensive back, has been a starter for the Rams in each of the last four seasons. This year, he hit free agency and the Rams did not show any interest in re-signing him.
In 2016, McDonald had 62 total tackles, two interceptions, one sack, and six passes defensed. He graded out as as Pro Football Focus’ 58th best safety in the NFL last season.