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Redskins Host RB Tim Hightower On Visit
The Redskins are hosting Tim Hightower on a free agent visit, a source tells Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). This marks the second known trip for the Saints free agent this month. He previously met with the 49ers. 
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Hightower was with the Redskins in 2011 but played in only five games due to a torn ACL. After that, he was out of the NFL for several years until re-emerging with the Saints in 2015. Last year, he finished out with 548 yards off of 133 carries with four rushing touchdowns. He also added 22 catches for 200 yards.
The Redskins already have four running backs under contract in Robert Kelley, Keith Marshall, Matt Jones, and Mack Brown. Many also expect the Redskins to consider a running back with their No. 17 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Kellen Winslow, Ben Tate Join Spring League
The Spring League kicks off in April and it will feature some notable names looking to resurrect their football careers. Defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., cornerback Brandon Browner, and running back Ben Tate are among the players who have been confirmed as participants, according to a press release. 
Winslow has not played in an NFL game since the 2013 season and we haven’t heard much from him since he worked out for the Packers last August. Tate, a former second-round pick, showed lots of promise in Houston but could not capitalize on a starting opportunity with the Browns in 2014. Hardy and Browner first committed to the league in early March.
The Spring League consists of four teams comprised of veteran free agents. The league will conduct practices and play six games from April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters will not be eligible to participate.
The league has secured five quarterbacks thus far, including Chiefs 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi and NFL practice squad journeyman McLeod Bethel-Thompson. At wide receiver, there’s former Ram Brandon Gibson, Jets 2014 fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders, and one-time Bills WR2 David Nelson. Former Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster and Texans 2013 third-round defensive tackle Sam Montgomery will also be suiting up for The Spring League next month.
The full list of players can be found below. In addition to those listed here, Pro Football Rumors has learned that another 30 players are expected to join prior to the start of training camp.
Quarterbacks
- Hutson Mason
- Ricky Stanzi
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson
- Zach Kline
- Jeremy Cannon
Running backs
- Zachery Bauman
- Kelsey Young
- Josh Robinson
- Ben Tate
- Noel Devine
- Adam Cox (FB)
Wide receivers
- Jalen Saunders
- David Nelson
- Kenzel Doe
- Brandon Gibson
- Daje’ Johnson
- Gavin Lutman
- Tyler McDonald
- J.D. Woods
- Sed Cunningham
- Lawrence Smith
- Terrance Lewis
- Rashon Ceaser
- Kendrick Wiggins
Dolphins LB Koa Misi Accepts Pay Cut
Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi has agreed to restructure his contract, Andy Slater of 940 AM tweets. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (on Twitter) has confirmed the news. Under the terms of the new deal, Misi gets $1.15MM guaranteed whether he passes a physical or not, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The linebacker does expect to play again and anticipates getting the green light in May. 
Misi, 30, was due a $4.175MM base salary for 2017. Given that Misi only played in three games in 2016 and has likely been squeezed out of the starting lineup, it was an untenable figure for Miami. The good news is that Misi is expected to be fully recovered from his neck injury time in time for the 2017 season and his pay cut should allow him to stick on the roster.
In one way or another, Misi’s restructure is likely tied to Zach Brown‘s free agent visit on Tuesday. It’s possible that Misi’s pay cut could pave the way for a Brown signing, though the Dolphins are still pretty tight against the cap. At minimum, the Brown visit probably gave the Dolphins additional leverage in the restructuring talks with Misi.
In 2015, Misi’s last predominantly healthy season, he totaled 78 tackles and had one pass defensed. Though he’s never had huge sack totals, he did have 12 sacks from 2010 through 2014. Pro Football Focus, for the most part, has always been high on the former second-round pick. In 2014 and 2015, he had scores of 81.5 and 80.8, painting him as a top-30 linebacker in the league.
Releasing Misi outright would have left the Dolphins with $578K in dead money. This marks the second straight year in which Misi agreed to a pay cut in order to stay with the Fins.
Contract Details: Claiborne, Geno Smith
Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed contracts:
- Morris Claiborne, CB (Jets): One year, $5MM. $2.5MM base salary. $2MM signing bonus. $31K per game bonus if on 46-man roster. (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the Daily News).
- Lorenzo Alexander, LB (Bills): Two years, $5.95MM. Cap numbers of $2.55MM (2017) and $3.4MM (2018). $1.1MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $2MM (2017, fully guaranteed) and $2.45MM (2018; $300K fully guaranteed; $1MM guaranteed for injury only). $300K roster bonus due on third day of the 2018 league year and additional per-game roster bonuses of $6K+ in 2018. Incentives up to $850K (2017) and $1.25MM (2018) in playing time and Pro Bowl incentives. (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- Geno Smith, QB (Giants): One year, $775K base. $25K workout bonus. $800K in play time incentives. $12.5K per-game roster bonuses. Max value of $2MM. (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
- EJ Manuel, QB (Raiders): One year, $800K. No guaranteed money. (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).
- Kellen Moore, QB (Cowboys): One year, $755K. $100K fully guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
- Tyson Alualu, DL (Steelers): Two years, $6MM. $1.75MM fully guaranteed. (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
- Kevin Minter, LB (Bengals): One year, $4MM. $2.1MM guaranteed. (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Frostee Rucker, DE (Cardinals): One year, $1.08MM. $80K fully guaranteed. $500K+ available through incentives. (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
Titans Meeting With G Tim Lelito
Saints free agent guard Tim Lelito is on a visit with the Titans today, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Lelito previously visited the Lions but left Detroit without signing a deal. 
With many of this year’s best interior offensive linemen off the board, I have Lelito ranked as the third-best center or guard still available. The 27-year-old (28 in June) appeared in all 16 games last season and has only missed one regular season contest in his four years with New Orleans. He graded out No. 49 guard in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him a solid mark for his pass blocking with a less impressive score on running plays.
The Titans lost Chance Warmack (Eagles) and Brian Schwenke (Colts) in free agency this year, so they could use some reinforcements. Currently, the Titans project to start Quinton Spain and Josh Kline at the guard positions with Sebastian Tretola and Josue Matias in support. Spain was PFF’s 18th best guard last season while Kline finished 26th. If he signs with Tennessee, Lelito would likely become the top guard off the bench.
Seahawks Sign S Bradley McDougald
One of the best defensive players left on the board is now spoken for. Safety Bradley McDougald has agreed to terms with the Seahawks on a one-year deal, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. He’ll earn $2MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The former Bucs notable was also mulling an offer from the Browns, La Canfora adds. 
McDougald, 26, has been a full-time starter for the last two years. The former UDFA graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 42 safety last year, but he regarded more highly by traditional evaluation methods. In his four seasons with Tampa Bay, McDougald started 31 games and recorded four interceptions with 14 passes defensed. Once the Bucs signed fellow defensive back J.J. Wilcox to a two-year deal, odds were that McDougald wound wind up elsewhere.
In Seattle, McDougald will likely be the first safety off the bench to relieve Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. In Cleveland, we presume, he would have had a chance of starting. It’s possible that McDougald chose the Seahawks over the Browns because of their higher likelihood of winning in 2017 and the potential for him to boost his value as a part of a strong defense. McDougald is still young and he could cash in on a multi-year deal this time next year if he performs well.
Heading into Wednesday, PFR’s Dallas Robinson had McDougald ranked as the No. 2 safety left on the board behind T.J. McDonald. Darius Butler was ahead of both players on the list, but he circled back to the Colts when the second wave of free agency got underway. He was our No. 10 ranked safety at the outset of free agency.
Details On Dennis Pitta’s New Ravens Deal
Earlier this month, Dennis Pitta agreed to a reworked deal that will allow him to remain in Baltimore. Today, we got the specifics on the tight end’s new contract. 
Pitta, 32 in June, was set to carry a hefty $7.7MM cap number in 2017 and 2018. Now, his restructured pact calls for him to carry $5.2MM cap numbers in both years, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. He’ll get a base salary of $2.5MM in 2017 with a $500K roster bonus and $3MM in 2018.
This marks the second straight year that Pitta has agreed to rework his contract. Last year, the tight end restructured his deal and slashed his base salary from $5MM to $1MM. However, after turning in a stellar season, he earned another $3MM in incentives and nearly balanced it all out. In 2016, Pitta set career-highs in receptions (86) and receiving yards (729) while adding a pair of touchdowns. It was especially remarkable when considering that hip issues limited Pitta to just seven games between 2013 and 2015.
The Ravens have some pruning to do at tight end with Pitta, Ben Watson, Maxx Williams, Crockett Gillmore, Nick Boyle, and Darren Waller all under contract.
Extra Points: Newton, Alonso, Rams
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is set to undergo surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder, reports ESPN.com’s David Newton. The former MVP is expected to miss offseason workouts, but he should be recovered for the start of training camp. Newton originally suffered the injury during his Week 14 matchup against the Chargers.
“We developed a plan for Cam to take a period of rest, a period of rehabilitation and treatment, and then start a gradual throwing program the first part of March,” said head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion. “Cam started his program, and the early parts of his rehab had been going well. However, as we worked to advance him into the next stage — the strengthening stage, the throwing stage — he started to have an increase in his pain level and started having pain while throwing.”
Newton isn’t the only Panthers player to be going under the knife. Defensive end Charles Johnson had back surgery earlier today, while wideout Damiere Byrd will have knee surgery later this week.
Let’s check out some other notes from around the NFL…
- The Dolphins signed linebacker Kiko Alonso to an extension earlier today, only a few weeks after the team inked free agent linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Alonso told Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) that he’s excited to play with the former Steelers defender, noting that he’d be willing to play either inside or outside linebacker.
- New Rams cornerback Kayvon Webster believes he’ll “definitely” have a chance to start opposite Trumaine Johnson (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez). Right now, Gonzalez believes he’ll have a leg-up over E.J. Gaines thanks to his familiarity with Wade Phillips‘ system. Webster said he would also like to contribute on special teams, depending on how much work he gets on defense.
- Embattled running back prospect Joe Mixon is set to meet with the Chargers, tweets ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter. The Oklahoma product would undoubtedly be an intriguing fit for Los Angeles, although the team is currently rostering four running backs in Melvin Gordon, Kenneth Farrow, Andre Williams, and Kenjon Barner.
Falcons Sign Derrick Coleman, Two Others
The Falcons announced the signing of three players on Tuesday afternoon. They have added fullbacks Derrick Coleman and Soma Vainuku plus guard Hugh Thornton. 
Prior to today, the Falcons didn’t have any fullbacks on the roster, so Coleman and Vainuku now make up their entire FB depth chart. Of course, when all is said and done, they could carry just one fullback, or possibly none if they do not care about prioritizing lead blocking. The Falcons lost one of the league’s best fullbacks this offseason when Patrick DiMarco signed with the Bills in free agency.
You might remember Coleman from his time with the Seahawks. An alleged hit-and-run incident in 2015 kept him out of football in 2016, but he avoided jail by agreeing to 240 hours of community service plus 12 months of community supervision. Although he is out of the woods in terms of legal trouble, he still has to serve a four-game NFL suspension. We had him ranked as one of the best remaining fullbacks on the board heading into Tuesday.
Thornton, 26 in June, started 32 games for the Colts from 2013-2015. The former third-round pick has been held back by injuries and has not seen regular season action since December 2015.