Redskins To Hire GM After Draft
The Redskins are expected to go into the NFL Draft without a GM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Without a replacement lined up for Bruce Allen, Redskins VP of Player Personnel Kyle Smith will be in charge of draft operations in April.
The Redskins canned Allen on Dec. 30, after ten years at the helm. In that span, the Redskins went 62-97-1 and made the playoffs only twice.
The Redskins’ next GM likely won’t have complete control over the 53-man roster. New head coach Ron Rivera is expected to have significant sway when it comes to personnel, which could dissuade some of the league’s more experienced candidates.
Allen wasn’t the only significant front office figure to exit D.C. this offseason. In the wake of Allen’s dismissal, senior VP Eric Schaffer was expected to see an increased role. Instead, they parted ways with the cap guru after nearly two decades together.
Rapoport hears similar news for the Panthers – their assistant GM job will also be filled sometime after the draft. The Panthers made a run at hiring Andrew Berry, but the Eagles blocked them because the position did not include roster control. Ultimately, Berry became the Browns’ new GM, where he’ll have say over the 53-man roster.
49ers GM: We Want To Keep Armstead
The 49ers will do everything they can – within reason – to keep the band together. After the defensive line lifted them to a Super Bowl appearance, GM John Lynch says he wants to keep pending free agent Arik Armstead for the long haul. 
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“Arik’s an excellent player. He’s had an excellent year. Everything is on the table,” Lynch told reporters on Thursday (via Jeff Kerr of CBSSports.com). “We want to find a way to keep him and make him a part of the 49ers for a long time.”
Armstead was responsible for ten of the D-Line’s 48 sacks in 2019. Before that, he totaled just nine sacks across four seasons. The disparity could be cause for concern, but others see this as the beginning of something special for the former first-round pick.
Naturally, the Niners want to keep him, but they have other fish to fry and limited fiscal flexibility. As of this writing, the Niners have less than $14MM in cap room. They can shed some contracts to create extra space, but they still have to leave enough cash to tight end George Kittle and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
If they can’t work out a multi-year deal with Armstead, they could employ the franchise tag – something that Armstead says he’s not necessarily opposed to.
“I would love being here,” Armstead said recently. “Trying to go back to the Super Bowl, so however that is seen or has to get done, it’s not really my decision what they want to do with me.”
Eagles Won’t Hire Offensive Coordinator
After all the chatter about the Eagles’ offensive coordinator vacancy, it turns out the job won’t be filled at all. After the Eagles bumped up quarterbacks coach Press Taylor and brought Rich Scangarello into the fold, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link) heard on Wednesday that Doug Pederson will call the plays in 2020. Then, on Thursday, the Eagles made the no-OC plan official with a press release.
The Eagles’ search for an OC began nearly one month ago when they sacked Mike Groh. The move was questioned by some, particularly since the injury bug pretty much wiped out his group of wide receivers. DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Nelson Agholor were all banged up last year, forcing them to lean on the likes of Greg Ward, Robert Davis, and Deontay Burnett down the stretch. Still, it wasn’t enough for Groh to get a reprieve. After Groh got the heave-ho, the Eagles considered Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban, USC’s Graham Harrell, and others as potential replacements.
The offense is Pederson’s bread and butter, so he feels confident in his ability to bring them back to glory. And, with Taylor staying put and Scangarello joining the staff, he’ll have plenty of experience and knowhow on hand to guide quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz had something of an up-and-down year under center – the end result was a 9-7 record, a short stay in the playoffs, and just 27 passing touchdowns, less than the 33 he notched in his injury-shortened 2017 campaign.
This offseason, the Eagles will have upwards of $40MM in cap room and the No. 21 overall pick in the first round. That should give them ammunition to fortify the offense, though they might not have the flexibility to move on from Jeffery or Jackson.
Ravens Re-Sign OT Andre Smith
The Ravens have re-signed offensive tackle Andre Smith, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The new one-year add-on will take him through the 2020 season. 
[RELATED: Former Ravens S Eric Weddle Retires From NFL]
Smith, 32, saw his latest stint with the Bengals come to an unceremonious end when he was cut in November. In January, the former top-10 pick hooked on with the Ravens as they geared up for the playoffs. After backstopping starters Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown, he’ll get an opportunity to stick around as a depth option this year.
Smith boasts 90 career starts, but he’s well past his prime at this point. To his credit, he did start much of the 2018 season with the Cardinals before his mid-season release.
In total, the 33-year-old has appeared in 116 games during his career, but he’s been slowed since 2016 thanks to injuries.
Browns Hire Joe Woods As DC
It’s a done deal. On Thursday, the Browns formally hired Joe Woods as their new defensive coordinator (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). 
Woods has been connected to the job for several weeks, though the Browns had to wait until the 49ers’ season was officially over before they hired SF’s defensive backs coach. Many expected that Woods would be announced as the Browns’ DC immediately after the Super Bowl, but things took a little longer – on Wednesday, he met with the Browns for an additional interview. Hours later, it’s signed, sealed, and delivered.
The 49ers were keen on keeping Woods, so it’s possible that they were looking into ways to hang on to him. Ultimately, the 49-year-old coach opted for a step up the ladder and a move to the Midwest. With the Browns, he’ll have an opportunity to run a talented unit that underperformed in 2019 and unraveled in an ugly brawl against the Steelers. There’s no official word yet, but Woods should have defensive end Myles Garrett in uniform for 2020, and the front office has ample cash to spend across the entire D.
Woods’ history with new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski should make the transition fairly easy. Stefanski, an offensive guru, will likely keep the focus on his side of the ball while Woods handles the defense. Last year, Woods’ 49ers pass-defense finished second in the league in DVOA. The Browns, meanwhile, sagged to 17th. A little bit of that magic would go a long way towards helping the star-studded Browns reach their full potential.
Eric Weddle Retires From NFL
On Thursday, Eric Weddle announced that he has reached the end of his extraordinary career. After 13 years, the legendary safety will move on to new endeavors and spend more time with his family.
Weddle’s journey began in 2007 with the Chargers. There, he forged a reputation as one of the league’s most imposing and hard-nosed safeties, collecting three Pro Bowl nominations and two First-Team All-Pro selections over the course of nine seasons. He also became one of the franchise’s main faces. Weddle became synonymous with San Diego, and he did not make the move to L.A. with his longtime club.
Unable to come to terms on a new deal, Weddle moved on to the Ravens before the 2016 season. His second chapter brought more memorable moments, including three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and 220 total tackles.
When the Ravens cut him loose last year, he hooked on with the Rams on a two-year pact. After tallying 108 tackles (good for second on the team) and four passes defensed, Weddle expressed uncertainty about whether he’d return for another season and attempt to play through chronic shoulder and knee pain. It also wasn’t clear whether the Rams had him in their plans – Weddle was set to count for a $4.75MM cap charge in 2020, and all but $500K could have been erased with his release.
Towards the end, Weddle’s declining speed and mounting list of ailments started to show. Regardless, he leaves the game with more accomplishments than we can list, but we’ll list a few more of them here – 1,179 total tackles, 29 interceptions, 98 passes defensed, 9.5 sacks, and five All-Pro nods (counting second- and third-team). We here at PFR wish Weddle the best in retirement.
Titans Won’t Hire Defensive Coordinator
On Thursday, the Titans formally hired Jim Haslett to serve as their inside linebackers coach. Meanwhile, their defensive coordinator vacancy will remain vacant, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
The Titans’ DC position opened up a few weeks back, when veteran coach Deen Pees announced his retirement. There were ample candidates available to replace the 70-year-old, but head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t see a need to fill his shoes. Presumably, Vrabel will be the one calling the plays in Tennessee, though Haslett comes with 12 years of headset experience.
After shocking the Patriots in the playoffs, the Titans will have the No. 29 overall pick in April. They could use that pick to fortify their secondary while dedicating more of their cap room to pressing needs on the other side of the ball. For starters, they’ll have to sit down with running back Derrick Henry, who is reportedly looking to top Ezekiel Elliott‘s contract. They’ll also have to hammer out a new deal with Ryan Tannehill, who is also salted for free agency in March.
Latest On Redskins, Trent Williams
The Redskins’ revamped regime is fully intent on keeping Trent Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The old guard was intent on moving on from a messy situation with their star left tackle, but Ron Rivera & Co. see him as a huge part of their plan going forward. 
This jibes with recent word on Williams – the club is optimistic about their chances of mending fences with the multiple-time Pro Bowler. Hurdles remain, but the Redskins plan to do a deep dive on Williams’ game tape and situation starting next week, Rapoport hears, and formulate a plan to keep the veteran happy and healthy.
Williams missed all of 2019 in a drama-filled year between him and the franchise. Last offseason, Williams underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his head. Williams says that he first noticed the growth way back in 2013, but team doctors told him that the issue was not serious and advised him to continue without surgery.
Since then, Williams has been diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a soft tissue sarcoma. In October, he made an effort to end his holdout and return to the field, but he was in immense pain when he tried to put on his helmet.
In November, the Redskins parked Williams on the NFI list and chose not to pay the rest of his $5.1MM salary. Williams has voiced frustration with the Redskins on a number of levels, but there’s at least a chance that he’ll resume playing for the Redskins and their new leadership.
Panthers Re-Sign Joey Slye
Joey Slye is set for another season in Carolina. On Thursday, the club announced a new deal with the kicker for the 2020 season. 
Slye was set to be an exclusive rights free agent this offseason, which means that he was more or less bound to the Panthers no matter what. But, with the new deal, he has a bit of early security and, perhaps, a modest pay bump over the slotted salary.
Slye wasn’t supposed to the Panthers’ kicker last season, but Graham Gano‘s sore knee forced him to the injured reserve list just before the start of the season and the Panthers had to pivot. Slye went on to connect on 25 of 32 field goals, and 31 of his 35 extra point attempts.
It was enough to get another look on a low-cost contract, but his misses won’t be automatically forgotten. In late November, for example, Slye left five points on the board against the Saints, who went on to win by three. That loss dropped the Panthers to 5-6 and more or less crushed their playoff hopes.
Gano, meanwhile, is under contract through the 2021 season. In 2020, he’s set to count for a $4.5MM cap charge.
Charges Against Dolphins’ Xavien Howard Dropped
The domestic battery charge against Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has been dropped, as ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe writes. Howard will not face jail time for the late December incident, but NFL discipline remains possible. 
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According to the police report, a verbal argument between Howard and his fiancee allegedly turned physical when he grabbed her arm and shoved her against a mirrored wall. Then, cops say, she fell on her right arm when Howard let her go.
On the heels of a Pro Bowl campaign, Howard inked a five-year, $76.5MM deal with the Dolphins last spring. After nabbing an NFL-high seven interceptions in just 12 games, Howard saw his 2019 season cut short by a knee injury.
Howard, at the very least, will not be facing legal consequences for the alleged event. Still, the NFL is expected to conduct a full investigation on the incident, which could lead to a suspension at the start of the 2020 season.
This year, Howard is slated to count for a $13.325MM charge against the Dolphins’ cap. His position-leading deal is set to run through 2024, his age-31 season.