Former Dolphins, Bears TE Dion Sims Retires From NFL
Dion Sims is calling it a career. On Friday, the former Bears and Dolphins tight end announced his retirement from the NFL. 
“Decided to hang my cleats up after 20 years of playing American football,” Sims tweeted. “God is good and I’m grateful!!!!!”
Sims spent six of those football playing years in the NFL – four with Miami and two with Chicago. We haven’t seen him on the field since 2018, however, so his retirement doesn’t come as a shock.
Sims, who turned 29 in February, never topped 30 receptions or 300 yards receiving during his six-year run. However, he was a solid blocker for most of his career. He also earned some solid money in his playing days: $11MM+ in total, with the bulk of it coming from the Bears.
The Bears gave Sims a three-year, $18MM deal in 2017, a solid payday at the time. That free agent class also featured TEs Vernon Davis, Jared Cook, Martellus Bennett, Jack Doyle, and Luke Willson.
Sims exits the sport with 91 receptions for 888 yards and nine touchdowns.
49ers To Decline Solomon Thomas’ Option
The 49ers will turn down Solomon Thomas‘ fifth-year option, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This was the expected move – Thomas has been a letdown for SF since being selected No. 3 overall back in 2017. 
[RELATED: Williams Willing To Wait On New Deal]
The Stanford product started at least 12 games in each of his first two seasons but was first string just three times in 2019. After playing on just 41% of the Niners snaps, he’s more of a role player than the star SF envisioned.
In 2017, Thomas was widely regarded as the second-best defensive lineman in the class, behind only Myles Garrett. On draft night, the Niners sent their No. 2 overall pick to the Bears and tapped Thomas, even though they already had a loaded defensive front featuring Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. With that, the Bears got Mitchell Trubisky and the 49ers got a king’s ransom for sliding down just one spot. Unfortunately, they missed on Thomas.
In three seasons, Thomas has registered six sacks in total while starting just 28 games. Now that the 49ers have first round pick Javon Kinlaw in the fold, they have little reason to commit to Thomas and risk being stuck with his salary in the event of an injury.
Titans To Pick Up Adoree’ Jackson’s Option
The Titans will exercise Adoree’ Jackson’s fifth-year option, according to Paul Kuharsky (Twitter link). He’s now under contract for the 2021 season for roughly $10MM. Meanwhile, wide receiver Corey Davis’ option has been turned down. 
[RELATED: Titans To Decline Corey Davis’ Option]
Last year, Jackson graded out as the eighth-best cornerback in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Even with a raise to an eight-figure salary, the 24-year-old (25 in September) profiles as a major bargain. After this, the Titans are expected to discuss a long-term deal with the USC product to keep him out of reach for rival teams in early 2022.
Jackson has offered solid defense as an outside corner, but GM Jon Robinson recently suggested that the Titans may kick him over to nickel this season. Alternatively, they could use some combination of rising sophomore Amani Hooker and second-round rookie Kristian Fulton to handle the slot.
As shown in PFR’s fifth-year option tracker, there are still a number of decisions that need to be made on 2017 first-round picks between now and the Sunday deadline.
Titans Decline Corey Davis’ Option
The Titans will decline Corey Davis‘ fifth-year option, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The wide receiver is now on course for unrestricted free agency following the 2020 season.
Davis was the first of three wide receivers selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the No. 5 overall pick has yet to realize his potential at the pro level. He showed promise in 2018 with 65 catches, 891 yards, and four touchdowns (all career highs), but he regressed last year. In 2019, Davis finished out with just 43 grabs for 601 yards and two TDs. For his career, Davis has found pay dirt only six times.
The option would have paid Davis $15.68MM in 2021, far too much given his track record. Instead of guaranteeing his year for injury at an exorbitant rate, the Titans will let the year play out and take it from there.
Davis’ hip injury didn’t help matters, of course. While he was hampered, second-round rookie A.J. Brown stepped up as the team’s WR1, eclipsing 1,000 yards and scoring eight times.
Meanwhile, the Titans have exercised the fifth-year add-on for cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, the No. 18 overall pick in the ’17 class.
Titans, Seahawks Still Interested In Jadeveon Clowney
The Titans and Seahawks are still interested in edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Clowney’s asking price and sense of urgency haven’t changed either. Despite multiple offers from both clubs, Clowney isn’t close with either team and he isn’t in a rush to put pen to paper. 
[RELATED: Jadeveon Clowney Interested In Jets?]
For now, Clowney’s plan is to wait until the pandemic eases up so that he can take a physical with interested teams, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. A passed (and thorough) physical with team doctors would give Clowney the best payday, he believes, though he could also lose out on available spots and dollars by waiting.
Recently, Seahawks GM John Schneider said he’d still consider the former No. 1 overall pick, though that was before the draft. Then, earlier this week, Jarran Reed caused a bit of a stir when he announced his new jersey number for the 2020 season – No. 90 – Clowney’s number with Seattle last year. For his part, Schneider says that he has not approved any sort of number change, so we can’t really read into Reed’s uni.
“I think you’re buying into it, because I don’t remember approving that yet, so I don’t know,” the GM said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). “I don’t know where that came from, but yesterday morning it was definitely, something was going on.”
The Titans had roughly $21MM in cap space before the draft, but their frosh will chip away at that figure. Clowney could help bolster their edge rush, though they have already beefed up in that area by signing Vic Beasley.
Clowney, 27, has 32 career sacks to his credit, though he logged just three sacks in 13 games last year.
Jaguars Won’t Rule Out QB Signing
Even while offering his support to Gardner Minshew, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone admitted that he’s still keeping an eye out for experienced quarterbacks. 
[RELATED: Bengals Release Andy Dalton]
“He’s our QB there’s no doubt about it..but one of the things we’re doing, we’re still looking to make sure we’re upgraded at each position,” Marrone told Peter Schrager of NFL Network (Twitter link). “There are some vets out there we might look at to bring in.”
One of those vets could be Andy Dalton, the longtime Bengals starter who was released by the club on Thursday. Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden got the best out of Dalton when he was Cincinnati’s head coach and he’d be a logical fit as Minshew’s safety net.
Of course, given Minshew’s up-and-down track record, a new veteran in Jacksonville could potentially take the reins. Dalton, for his part, is looking for an opportunity to start. Already, the Jaguars – and Patriots – have reportedly discussed Dalton. At the same time, the Bengals didn’t get a whole lot of interest from the Jags when they discussed Dalton in the past.
Minshew was thrust into the starting job when Nick Foles suffered a broken collarbone. Then, when Foles couldn’t get the job done in back-to-back blowout losses, Minshew was restored as the QB1 in December.
Dolphins To Trade Charles Harris To Falcons
The Dolphins have agreed to trade defensive end Charles Harris to the Falcons (Twitter link via Jason Butt of The Athletic). In exchange, Atlanta will send a 2021 seventh-round pick to Miami, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Release Taco Charlton]
The Dolphins have been doing some spring cleaning with former first-round picks this week. On Thursday, they released defensive lineman Taco Charlton. Today, they’re moving on from Harris, who was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2017 draft.
The 6’3″ edge rusher impressed in his final two seasons at Missouri, combining for 30.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep up the good work at the pro level. In three years, Harris has just 3.5 sacks to his credit. He’s also made just eight starts in his 41 games.
Now, with reduced expectations, he’ll try to get his career back on track with the Falcons. He’ll provide support behind Dante Fowler Jr., the former No. 3 overall pick who broke out just in the nick of time to find free agent riches. Harris, still only 25, is under contract for just $1.94M this season.
Without Harris, the Dolphins will forge ahead with Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah as their top bookends. Ogbah inked a two-year, $15MM deal to take his talents to South Beach in March. Lawson, who notched a career-high 6.5 sacks with the Bills last year, agreed to a three-year, $30MM free agent contract.
Browns GM: We’re Keeping OBJ
Maybe the trade rumors Odell Beckham Jr. finally quiet down now. Believe him or not, Browns GM Andrew Berry says the wide receiver will be a “long-term member” of the organization. 
“With all due respect to the question, I think this is actually a topic, at least from our perspective, there really hasn’t been a ton of ambiguity,” Berry told NFL Network. “We’ve been clear from the beginning that we view Odell as a fantastic player. We’re a better team with him on the field. We see him as a long-term member of the organization. We really like how he’s acclimated and adjusted with the new staff. So the rumors, that’s not something that we can control, but we’re happy to have him as a part of our organization.”
Beckham clashed with Freddie Kitchens last year, but he was far from the only player to butt heads with the coach. Between OBJ and Kitchens, only one of them made it to Year 2 in Cleveland – the new regime has spent the last few months shooting down trade speculation about the star receiver and Berry’s latest comments are his strongest yet.
Relatively speaking, OBJ fell flat last year. Still, he pulled off 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. Quirks and all, Beckham is one of the most talented offensive weapons in the NFL and the Browns have every reason to make things work.
The latest round of speculation pegged Beckham for the Vikings. The Browns flatly denied any talks with the Vikes and we’re inclined to believe them. After moving on from Stefon Diggs for salary and personality reasons, it would have made little sense to replace him with Beckham.
“In short, I will just say it was completely false,” executive Paul DePodesta told reporters earlier this month. “It’s a frustrating a little bit. I think it is pretty clear we are trying to build at this point…The idea that we would take away from that core at this moment just does not make a whole lot of sense and is not really something that we are exploring at all.”
Redskins Sign 4 UDFAs
The Redskins have signed four undrafted rookie free agents, according to a team press release:
- Johnathon Johnson, WR (Missouri)
- Steven Montez, QB (Colorado)
- Thaddeus Moss, TE (LSU)
- Isaiah Wright, WR (Temple)
Montez could face long odds of making the Redskins’ roster with Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen already under contract (not to mention Alex Smith), but he’s still a prospect to keep an eye on. At 6’5″, he has the size that pro scouts drool over for quarterbacks. He was also a three-sport standout coming out of high school; his athleticism is a major plus, even though he didn’t do quite enough for the Buffaloes to earn a spot in the seven-round draft. He did, however, break 31 program records during his run. Montez’s deal includes $35K guaranteed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), a solid sum for a UDFA.
The biggest name on the list, however, is Moss – the son of Hall of Famer Randy Moss. At LSU, the tight end showed promise in spurts, so the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. If not for a fracture in his right foot, Moss likely would have been drafted somewhere during Day 3.
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Newton, Williams, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants
Things weren’t great down the stretch for the Redskins and Trent Williams, but the new 49ers tackle says he’s not harboring any ill will towards his former team.
“I’m thankful this is over,” Williams told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). “Thanks to Dan [Snyder] and the organization for all they’ve done for me. Still a lot of love for the fans and that locker room. Now I’m focusing on being the best player I can possibly be for the 49ers.”
Now that his saga with the Redskins is in the rear view mirror, Williams is focused on hashing out a new deal with the defending NFC champs. Right now, Williams is set to play out the 2020 season on a $12.5MM base salary, but the veteran says there’s mutual interest in a fresh pact. Given Williams’ medical history and age, it remains to be seen whether the 49ers would be willing to commit substantial guaranteed cash to him. Then again, he’s a seven-time Pro Bowler at a premium position and the Niners, ideally, want to keep him happy.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Were the Redskins ever serious about selecting Tua Tagovailoa instead of stud edge rusher Chase Young? “No, not really,” head coach Ron Rivera said this week (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports). “We just feel about the things we saw from Dwayne Haskins,” Rivera continued. “I feel good enough about him that I’m willing to take that chance, that opportunity.”
- Meanwhile, the longtime Panthers head coach isn’t ruling out a reunion with former MVP Cam Newton (via NFL.com). “You know, the thing about Cam really is the situation,” said Rivera. “We’re in a situation where we’ve got two really young quarterbacks, one that’s been with us, been in the system, understands how we want things done and the other one is a guy who was taken last year in the first round and shows some promise.” For now, Newton is holding out for an opportunity to start.
- The Cowboys coughed up a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Eagles to take Wisconsin lineman Tyler Biadsz last week. The intra-divisional trade wasn’t an easy call, but they were able to stomach it thanks to a wealth of mid-round selections coming their way, The Athletic’s Jon Machota writes. Jerry Jones & Co. will recoup comp picks after losing four starters in free agency: cornerback Byron Jones, edge rusher Robert Quinn, wide receiver Randall Cobb, and defensive tackle Maliek Collins.
- The Giants non-tendered center Jon Halapio earlier this year, but there’s a strong chance he’ll return to the team as he recovers from an Achilles injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. For now, the Giants have a few options on hand in guard Shane Lemieux – who has never lined up in the middle – Spencer Pulley, and G/T Nick Gates.