Steelers Cut Mark Barron, Anthony Chickillo
The Steelers have released linebackers Mark Barron and Anthony Chickillo, according to a team press release. In a related move, the club also cut wide receiver Johnny Holton.
For Barron, it’s an early end to the free agent deal he inked with the Steelers one year ago. With his two-year, $12MM deal terminated, he’ll look for work elsewhere. After coming over from the Rams, Barron registered 82 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery in 15 games.
Chickillo, meanwhile, has mostly played as a reserve throughout his career in Pittsburgh. He has 65 total appearances to his credit with just nine starts. All in all, he’s logged 67 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three pass defenses, three forced fumbles, and lots of time on special teams.
Cardinals Trade David Johnson To Texans
The Cardinals and Texans have agreed to a trade that will send David Johnson to Houston, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The deal, in effect, amounts to a salary dump for Arizona. The Texans will take on his entire salary, Schefter adds (on Twitter).
Exact terms of the exchange are not yet known, but the Texans probably didn’t give up much to facilitate the deal.
The Cardinals said that releasing Johnson was “not an option” this year. Due $13MM/year on his monster deal, and releasing him would have saddled the team with a $16.2MM dead money hit. Instead, they’ve escaped some of that obligation with the trade.
Johnson’s was once one of the league’s very best running backs. But, thanks to ankle and back injuries, he’s been a shell of his former self. Last year, the Cardinals limited his carries and pushed him further down the pecking order by trading for Kenyan Drake in the middle of the season. Drake, meanwhile, will remain tied to the club thanks to the transition tag.
Last year, Johnson missed time and averaged just 3.7 yards on 94 totes. His last big year came in 2016, when he earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro nods as he ran for 1,239 yards. Before that, he put his name on the map as a rookie by averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
This won’t be the only blockbuster move made by the Texans this week. Shockingly, we heard earlier today that the Texans could even entertain trade offers for DeAndre Hopkins.
Dolphins To Sign Ereck Flowers To $30MM Deal
The Dolphins have agreed to sign Ereck Flowers, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Once finalized, it’ll be a three-year deal worth $30MM with $19.5MM fully guaranteed.
Flowers, who floundered in his early years with the Giants, was not expected to find free agent riches at the outset of the offseason. However, the dearth of quality offensive line help around the league bolstered his market tremendously. Lately, we’ve heard rumors that Flowers could fetch $10MM/year on his next deal. That was indeed the case, and the Dolphins will be the team to pay out that contract.
Last year, Flowers earned $3.25MM with the Redskins. Playing at guard, Flowers started in all 16 games and surprised many with his performance. After the Redskins locked down Brandon Scherff and the Patriots took Joe Thuney off of the market with a surprise franchise tag, Flowers was looking better than ever to teams in need of interior help.
The deal brings the Miami native and former Hurricane back to his old stomping grounds. Meanwhile, the Dolphins get a talented lineman who – in theory – could offer support at multiple positions.
Browns To Sign Austin Hooper
The Browns have reached agreement with Austin Hooper, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The deal will make Hooper the league’s highest paid tight end of all time. Hooper has also personally confirmed that the Browns are likely to land him (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
“I’m definitely leaning Cleveland. Unless something comes up unexpected, then no question Cleveland is the leader,” Hooper said.
Once finalized, the deal will pay Hooper $42MM over four years, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. The pact includes $18.5MM fully guaranteed at signing with $23MM locked in through the first two years. The average annual value of $10.5MM makes Hooper the league’s best compensated TE in NFL history, putting him ahead of Jimmy Graham. Graham, before he was cut, was on a deal that paid him $10MM per annum.
Hooper has drawn interest from just about everyone in recent weeks and, unlike the incumbent Falcons, they had enough available cap room to swing a deal. The deal, for now, is a (teleconferenced) handshake. On Wednesday, the two sides can make things official when the 2020 league year officially begins.
In 13 games for Atlanta in 2019, the two-time Pro Bowler set career-highs in catches (75), receiving yards (787), and touchdowns (six). In Cleveland, Hooper would provide Baker Mayfield with yet another explosive offensive weapon. Last year, despite all of their immense talent, the Browns were unable to capitalize.
This year, things could be different under their new regime, and their aerial attack could be more dangerous than ever. Meanwhile, the Browns will keep their fingers crossed for the swift and full recoveries of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, both of whom are coming off of surgery. If they’re good to go, opposing defenses will have their hands full with Hooper, OBJ, Landry, and David Njoku, who would likely line up in two tight end sets with the team’s new high-priced addition.
CB Rumors: Harris, Bills, Jones, Dolphins, Trufant, Jets
The latest on key cornerbacks from around the NFL:
- The Jets remain zeroed in on James Bradberry, but they’re also in the hunt for a second free agent cornerback. That search could lead them to Desmond Trufant, Connor Hughes of The Athletic tweets. Trufant will be cut loose by at Atlanta this week.
- The Dolphins are among the clubs that have discussed impending Dallas free agent Byron Jones, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. You can add Miami to the list of previously reported suitors for Jones, which includes the Jets, Raiders, and Eagles.
- More from Anderson (via Twitter), who notes that the Bills are now in on veteran Chris Harris. They join the Cowboys, Bills, Jets, Raiders, and other clubs in search of the experienced secondary help that Harris would provide.
Raiders, Redskins, Seahawks Interested In Damarious Randall
Damarious Randall views the Raiders, Redskins, and Seahawks as the most compelling suitors for his services, ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter) hears. The Browns safety is set to reach free agency on Wednesday and is currently in talks with teams as the “legal tampering” period gets underway.
Randall, 28 in August, was limited to just eleven games last year. Still, he notched 2.5 sacks – the first sacks of his pro career – while logging 61 total tackles and six passes defensed. Over the course of five years with the Packers and Browns, he’s appeared in 65 games with 56 starts and come away with 14 interceptions in that span.
For what it’s worth, Randall clashed with head coach Freddie Kitchens at times in 2019. However, he was far from the only player to butt heads with Kitchens, who has since been fired and replaced with Kevin Stefanski.
49ers, Arik Armstead Nearing Deal
The 49ers and Arik Armstead are on the verge of a brand new deal, Mike Florio of PFT (via Twitter) hears. That agreement is expected “very very soon,” he adds.
Many labeled Armstead as a bust early on, but he silenced critics with his performance in 2019. Pro Football Focus pegged the former first-rounder as the sixth-best edge defender out of 107 qualified players in the category. Meanwhile, Jadeveon Clowney ranked 20th, Shaquil Barrett ranked 25th, and Yannick Ngakoue ranked 36th. Barrett led the league with 19.5 sacks while Armstead recorded “just” ten sacks, but he had more quarterback hurries, which is perhaps a better indicator of sacks to come.
Some may say that Armstead is something of a one-hit wonder, dismissing his 2019 season as a well-timed burst before free agency. However, the talent has been there all along, and the Niners are confident that he’ll continue to build on that performance. It’s worth noting that Armstead has generated a hurry on over 9.2% of his pass-rush snaps over his career – none of the aforementioned players have topped 7.8%.
Along with Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, Armstead has helped to turn one of the Niners’ biggest weaknesses into the team’s greatest strength. With a new deal, SF will aim to keep that momentum going.
Jets To Ramp Up Graham Glasgow Pursuit
The Jets are expected to “ramp up” their pursuit of Graham Glasgow, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic (on Twitter). They have little choice at this point – Patriots offensive lineman Joe Thuney was believed to be their top target, but he has been yanked from the open market after the Patriots used the franchise tag on him. 
The Lions, meanwhile, are poised to let the interior lineman walk.
“I’m bummed that I’m not able to stay cause I love Michigan and I love the Detroit area,” Glasgow said recently. “But you don’t play football forever, so I think that being able to go somewhere else and make some money is an exciting thing.”
Glasgow spent five years in college at Michigan and then the first four years of his pro career in Detroit, but a relocation is in his future. The Jets, who are desperate to protect Sam Darnold and open up holes for Le’Veon Bell, could be the team to back up a Brinks truck for him.
Glasgow has been a starter for the bulk of his career. A third-round pick in 2016, Glasgow has started at least 15 games in each of the past three campaigns. He’s also versatile, with experience at both center and right guard.
In 2019, Glasgow graded out as one of the better interior protectors in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Patriots Tag Joe Thuney
The Patriots will use the franchise tag on offensive lineman Joe Thuney, as agent Mike McCartney tweets. It’s a stunning move – few expected the Patriots to cuff Thuney given their tight cap situation and reluctance to spend on their own free agents.
The tag does not guarantee that the Patriots will keep Thuney. Instead, this could be step one towards a tag-and-trade scenario. The left guard is a four-year starter who has never missed a game. He also just turned 27 in November – other clubs would love to have an elite interior protector in his prime.
It’s important to note that the franchise tag is the same for all offensive linemen, meaning that Thuney is now slated to make $14.8MM for the 2020 season. That’s the kind of compensation that goes to top offensive tackles. Then again, the guard market is rapidly rising – former Giants draft bust Ereck Flowers, for example, could be in line for an incomprehensibly lucrative pay day. Better options, like Redskins standout Brandon Scherff, have already been spoken for.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are working to keep franchise star Tom Brady in New England. The Titans, thought to be one of his biggest potential suitors, exited the sweepstakes by extending Ryan Tannehill. The Niners, meanwhile, are likely to stand pat with his one-time backup Jimmy Garoppolo.
NFL Draft Still Set For April 23
The NFL will proceed with the 2020 draft on April 23-25, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. However, the league has 86’d public events in Las Vegas and is exploring “innovative ways for how the process will be conducted,” Garafolo hears. The league has since confirmed the measure via press release.
“This decision reflects our foremost priority – the health and safety of all fans and citizens,” said Roger Goodell in a statement. “While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raiders, the City of Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating other opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl.”
Even without fans involved, it’s hard to imagine the league conducting the draft in its traditional fashion with thousands of executives, league officials, and players gathering in one place. Instead, the most likely outcome – we imagine – would see the entire process take place remotely via video conferencing.
Already, the NFL has moved to cancel pre-draft visits. The entire sporting world has taken similar steps, with a few exceptions. The UFC is one outlier – they still plan to hold their scheduled events over the next few weeks, with an eye on using their own Apex training center (also in Las Vegas) for at least some of them. The Nevada State Athletic Commission may block those plans, leaving the last North American sport to consider Native American reservations and other alternatives, if they stay the course.