Patriots Sign RB Rex Burkhead
Finally, we’re starting to see some top running backs come off the board. Rex Burkhead has signed with the Patriots, according to a club announcement. It’s a one-year, $3.15MM deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That includes a $1.1MM signing bonus and $1.8MM in base salary. He can earn $250K via per-game roster bonuses.
The Pats’ running back depth chart is now led by Burkhead, James White, and Dion Lewis with 2016 undrafted free agent D.J. Foster in support. Burkhead could be given a chance to compete for the starting job.
The addition of Burkhead could spell the end of LeGarrette Blount‘s time with the Patriots. Blount is still without a team and the only thing we’ve heard this week is that the Seahawks are “monitoring” him. Of course, their interest level is unclear now that they have signed Eddie Lacy.
Last year, after Giovani Bernard went down, Burkhead stepped up to the plate and made a name for himself in the process. He averaged 4.6 yards per attempt for the Bengals. Now, the Patriots want to see if he can replicate that production in a larger sample. His 74 carries last year were, by far, a career high.
Burkhead was our No. 7 UFA running back this year, behind Eddie Lacy, Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount, Latavius Murray, Jamaal Charles, Darren McFadden, and Jacquizz Rodgers. He was slotted ahead of notables like Rashad Jennings, Danny Woodhead, and DeAngelo Williams.
Kevin Minter To Visit Bengals
Cardinals’ free agent linebacker Kevin Minter, is scheduled to visit the Bengals on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Minter is currently visiting with the Colts. 
The Colts’ powwow was Minter’s first free agent visit, so a trip to Cincinnati would mark his second, assuming he doesn’t first strike a deal with Indianapolis. I had Minter ranked No. 22 on my Top 50 rundown of this year’s free agents, but the market for top linebackers has been slow to develop. In terms of ability, Minter was our No. 3 ranked available linebacker, behind only Dont’a Hightower and Zach Brown. Both AFC East standouts remain in limbo.
Minter, 26, totaled 81 tackles and 3.5 sacks for the Cardinals last season. Arizona has replaced outside linebacker Alex Okafor with Jarvis Jones, but they would probably like to keep Minter if they can afford him.
Cowboys Re-Sign G Jonathan Cooper
The Cowboys have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with free-agent guard Jonathan Cooper, according to a source who spoke with Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Cooper joined the Cowboys during the playoffs in January he was released by Cleveland. 
The former No. 7 overall pick hasn’t come close to living up to draft day expectations, but he did do enough for Dallas to give him a second look. He also looked pretty decent in his short stint with the Browns. Pro Football Focus assigned Cooper a 73.2 overall grade in his 183 snaps for Cleveland, a score that would have put him in the middle of the pack amongst guards if he had enough playing time to qualify.
Now that Doug Free is retiring, the Cowboys could slot La’el Collins at right tackle with Cooper taking over at left guard. At minimum, Cooper could be a quality depth signing for Dallas.
Five Teams In On Nickell Robey-Coleman
In addition to the Vikings, the Chargers, Dolphins, Steelers, and Titans are also showing interest in defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. Robey-Coleman has found a healthy market ever since being discarded by the Bills earlier this month. 
Last year, the slot cornerback earned a higher grade from Pro Football Focus than teammates Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. All in all, he graded out as PFF’s No. 33 overall corner. He was set to make just $2.1MM this season, but Buffalo instead decided to cut him and save $1.65MM against the cap.
The Steelers had interest in Davon House before he signed with the Packers on Tuesday, so they are still in the market for help at corner. The Vikings are also a logical landing spot. They remain in pursuit of defensive back Lardarius Webb, but it’s possible that he could return to the Ravens on a cheaper deal.
Terence Newman Plans To Continue Playing
Cornerback Terence Newman is without a gig at the moment, but he plans to continue playing. In an interview with SiriusXM (Twitter link), he indicated that a deal could be right around the corner. 
“I hope to get something done in next few days,” Newman said. “I do have a deal that is imminent.”
Newman was Dallas Robinson’s No. 8 ranked cornerback heading into free agency, but we haven’t heard much about him since things got started one week ago. The Vikings are down a veteran cornerback after Captain Munnerlyn left in free agency, so it stands to reason that Minnesota has interest in re-signing him. At the same time, they’re eyeing a younger cornerback in Nickell Robey-Coleman.
Newman will turn 39 in September. Last year, he totaled 38 tackles and one interception across 15 appearances (nine starts).
Steelers Host WR Justin Hunter On Visit
Wide receiver Justin Hunter visited the Steelers on Monday, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The team also met with former Green Bay linebacker Jayrone Elliott. 
Hunter, a former second-round pick, has never lived up to expectations. The Titans’ old regime believed that he had the upside and talent to be a bonafide WR1 in the NFL. The new regime, led by GM Jon Robinson, cut him loose in September. From there, Hunter had stints with the Dolphins and Bills. In 13 games, he amassed ten catches for 189 yards and four touchdowns.
The Steelers presently have seven wide receivers under contract: Antonio Brown, Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Demarcus Ayers, and Canaan Severin. That’s a solid top five, so it’s possible that the Steelers are eyeing Hunter as a practice squad candidate. If that’s the case, then any potential deal between the Steelers and Hunter would probably take a while to go down. Before signing a taxi squad deal, Hunter will likely exhaust all other 53-man roster opportunities.
The Patriots were linked to Hunter last week, but it’s unclear if they’re still interested following the acquisition of Brandin Cooks.
Jared Cook To Visit Vikings
If tight end Jared Cook does not sign with the Seahawks, he’ll take a visit to the Vikings soon, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. A return to the Packers, of course, is no longer possible after Green Bay signed Martellus Bennett. 
Cook now stands as the top tight end available and there are four teams known to have interest: the Seahawks, Vikings, Bills, and Lions. Interestingly, the Bills (Charles Clay), Seahawks (Jimmy Graham), and Lions (Eric Ebron) already have big name starters at tight end. It stands to reason that these clubs could be looking to emphasize two tight end sets in 2017.
The Vikings have Kyle Rudolph and David Morgan II under contract. They’re down a tight end, however, after Rhett Ellison signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Giants. Ellison offered a much different skill set than Cook, so they might still be in the market for a blocking tight end even if they sign him.
Rams Re-Sign K Greg Zuerlein
The Rams have re-signed Greg Zuerlein, according to a team announcement. The kicker gets a three-year deal to remain in L.A. Young GZ will average $2.25MM per year on the new pact, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Zuerlein is entering his sixth season with the Rams. After a rough 2015 in which he made only 66.7% of his attempted field goals, he bounced back in 2016 and converted on 86.4% of his tries, though he only had 22 attempts overall. Zuerlein also converted on all 23 of his extra point opportunities, no small feat given the recently-extended range. In 2015, he missed two of the longer distance XP attempts.
Amongst all kickers with eight or more games played, Zuerlein’s 86.4% field goal percentage was good for ninth-best in the league.
Latest On Saints, Malcolm Butler
The Saints and Malcolm Butler have begun negotiations on a new contract and hope to strike a deal this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. From there, the Saints will discuss the parameters of a trade with the Patriots.
Butler won’t be meeting with New Orleans until later this week, but the two sides are already discussing a potential deal. From here, there are a number of different potential outcomes:
- The Saints sign Butler to an offer sheet and risk losing their No. 11 overall pick to New England. This scenario, I feel, is unlikely. Butler has previously pushed for top ten cornerback money and the Saints would be borderline crazy to give up such a valuable pick in addition to that type of contract. Butler could potentially agree to a lesser deal, but he’ll only bend so far and the Saints won’t end up with him if the deal is team-friendly enough for New England to match.
- The Saints hammer out contract terms with Butler, then work out a less-costly trade with the Patriots. The Patriots and Saints obviously have a good rapport as evidenced by the Brandin Cooks deal. The Patriots can afford to lose Butler after adding Stephon Gilmore and they could be inclined to negotiate if they believe New Orleans will not sacrifice the No. 11 pick. A good middle-ground option here might see the Patriots get back their own No. 32 overall pick. Then, in essence, the two sides will have swapped Cooks for Butler with the Saints moving up from No. 118 overall to No. 103. In this scenario, to circumvent the rules of restricted free agency, the Patriots would “sign-and-trade” Butler to New Orleans.
- The Patriots refuse to agree to a trade and the Saints refuse to part with the No. 11 overall pick. This would result in Butler continuing his (restricted) free agency tour. If he can’t find a team willing to cough up a first-round choice for the right to sign him and the Pats do not give him a multi-year extension, he’ll only have one option: play out 2017 with the Patriots on the one-year, $3.91MM first-round tender. Butler is reportedly not entertaining any sort of holdout, so his contractual drama would be put on pause until March 2018.
Latest On Latavius Murray, Jamaal Charles
Now that Eddie Lacy has landed in Seattle, Latavius Murray is changing course. Instead of meeting with the Seahawks today, Murray is visiting with the Vikings, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Interestingly, Jamaal Charles‘ scheduled visit to Seattle on Wednesday is still on, according to Schefter. 
Lacy’s deal with the Seahawks could start a run on free agent running backs. Teams have been wallflowers when it comes to engaging the top available RBs so far. Now, teams could finally start to get serious with Murray, Charles, Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount, Darren McFadden, and others.
At the same time, Lacy was my No. 1 rated RB on the board and he had to settle for a one-year prove-it deal. The age and injury concerns will probably lead Charles, Peterson, Blount, and McFadden to similar pacts, perhaps with less money. Murray, I feel, could still have a shot at a multi-year deal, but if the market is soft for the position, he may also opt for a one-year contract to allow him to try the open market again next year.
Right now, the Seahawks have a strong RB group with Lacy, Thomas Rawls, and C.J. Prosise in the fold. Charles would be a great addition, but it’s hard to see there being enough carries to keep all four backs satisfied.