Jaguars Work Out Terrelle Pryor
The Jaguars will work out free agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor on Wednesday, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Pryor spent time with the Bills and Jets last year but finished out with just 16 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. 
The former Ohio State quarterback broke out in 2016 with the Browns, tallying 77 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns. He joined the Redskins after that on a one-year contract, but was unable to take advantage of the platform deal. His 2017 season ended with a 20/240/1 stat line.
It’s fair to wonder whether injuries continued to hamper Pryor’s production last year. The Jets released Pryor in October while he was dealing with a groin strain. Days later, he declared himself to be close to 100% healthy, but he didn’t look all that sharp with the Bills. The 29-year-old (30 in June) had a couple of solid performances with the Jets in the fall, so there’s still reason to believe that Pryor can be a difference maker in the NFL.
The Jaguars’ wide receiver group currently features Keelan Cole, Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, and Chris Conley.
Browns, Ravens Top Gerald McCoy’s List
The Browns and Ravens are in the lead for Gerald McCoy‘s services, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, if neither club offers him the contract he wants, it’s possible that things could open up for other teams. 
One of those teams could be the Panthers, who have a desire to upgrade at defensive tackle and have been lurking, according to Rapoport. With less than $10MM in projected cap space, the Panthers don’t have a ton of breathing room, but they could get creative with some contract adjustments and/or a backloaded contract for McCoy.
Pairing McCoy with Kawann Short would give the Panthers a potent attack on the inside, but Dontari Poe‘s contract may stand in the way. Signed to a three-year, $28MM deal in 2018, cutting Poe today would leave the Panthers with a whopping $9.2MM cap charge versus just $166K in savings. Instead, the Panthers may prefer to stay the course with Short, Poe, and quality backup Kyle Love.
NFLPA Bracing For Work Stoppage
This week, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith urged all agents to advise their clients to save money in the event of a labor stoppage in 2021, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily (on Twitter). 
“With a possible work stoppage less than two years away, this is the opportune time to set up a structured and organized savings and budgeting plan with your clients,” Smith wrote in the email. “I can’t stress enough the importance of having our player members in a sound financial situation should a work stoppage occur. We are advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length. We are also encouraging all players to save 50% of their salary and bonuses and to save the entirety of their Performance Based Pay amounts they should earn over the next two regular seasons.”
This is the first time that the union has ever made such an appeal via agents, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com hears, though an NFLPA source says Smith has communicated similar messages in public speeches and direct conversations with players. Furthermore, the union does not want the letter to be taken as a sign that CBA talks are going poorly. As another source put it, the letter is part of the union’s “ongoing message to negotiate for the best but prepare for the worst.”
As Graziano notes, Smith has had a rocky relationship with agents and some have smashed the union chief for his perceived lack of results in the last round of talks.
Jets Notes: Jets, Kelly, Douglas, Gase
Champ Kelly‘s interview for the Jets‘ GM vacancy will take place next week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Kelly is one of five candidates presently scheduled to interview for the job following Wednesday’s addition of Saints exec Terry Fontenot.
Here’s more on Gang Green:
- Multiple GMs believe the Jets already decided on hiring Eagles exec Joe Douglas when they fired Mike Maccagnan after the draft, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears. Meanwhile, there’s skepticism about whether Vikings assistant GM George Paton will give serious consideration to the job after turning the Jets down twice before. “Why would George even take the interview?” said a high-ranking NFL official. “I wouldn’t take it. He doesn’t need to do that now.”
- Interesting note from Mike Florio of PFT: The Jets do not have to cede control of the 53-man roster in order to hire an executive who is under contract with another team. Rules dictate that the Jets offer “the primary authority over all personnel decisions related to the signing of free agents, the selection of players in the College Draft, trades, and related decisions; and…the primary responsibility for coordinating other football activities with the head coach.” However, the rules explicitly state: “Final authority regarding the composition of the 53-player roster is not a requirement.” Head coach Adam Gase currently has 53-man roster control and it has been said that the Jets are unwilling to tweak that arrangement.
Steelers Rework Chris Boswell’s Contract
The Steelers pushed kicker Chris Boswell to delay his $2MM bonus until after the club’s final preseason game, Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (on Twitter) hears. Originally, Boswell was slated to collect on that bonus in mid-March. 
Had Boswell not accepted the payout change, Dulac hears that he would have been released. By pushing up the bonus date, the Steelers will give themselves additional time before deciding whether to give the veteran a shot at redemption.
Last year, Boswell converted just 65% of his field goal attempts last season, a percentage that ranked him 30th among kickers. That’s a far cry from his previous work, including his 2017 Pro Bowl campaign in which he sank 92.1% of his kicks, nailed all four of his tries from t50 yards and further, and earned his first ever trip to the Pro Bowl.
The Steelers also have Central Florida rookie Matthew Wright on the roster and could conceivably look at other kicking options between now and September.
Jets Request Interview With Terry Fontenot
The Jets added a fifth name to their GM search. The Jets put a request in for Saints Director of Pro Scouting Terry Fontenot, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Jets GM Search Tracker]
Fontenot was not previously connected to the job and doesn’t have the name value of the Jets’ other four candidates. However, as Rapoport notes, he has a strong reputation in the football world and has been credited with improving the Saints’ roster, along with Sean Payton and Jeff Ireland.
Fontenot, 38, has spent 16 years with the Saints and six years as the club’s director of pro scouting. He joins Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer, Bears assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly, and Vikings assistant GM George Paton as known candidates for the job.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/28/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Trevon Tate
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Chunky Clements
- Waived: DT Johnny Robinson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: TE John Phillips
- Waived: QB T.J. Linta
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Matthew Dayes
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers from Dolphins: LB James Burgess
- Placed on NFI List: RB Jalin Moore
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: G Chaz Green
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Devin Ross
- Waived: G Johnny Gibson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Dontae Johnson
- Waived: LB Pita Taumoepenu
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Dee Liner
Washington Redskins
- Signed: T Brian Wallace, T Jylan Ware
- Waived: T Adam Bisnowaty, T Juwann Bushell-Beatty
49ers Release Anthony Davis
The 49ers have released offensive tackle Anthony Davis, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, the 29-year-old is now a free agent and eligible to speak to other teams. The NFL reinstated Davis from the reserve-retired list Tuesday.
Davis announced his retirement after the 2014 season and returned for one game in 2016 before retiring once again, citing concerns about concussions. But, earlier this month, Davis filed paperwork for reinstatement.
This does throw an interesting lineman into the free agent mix, based strictly on his work when he was a full-time starter. But that was five years ago.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Davis played 16 games as San Francisco’s starting right tackle for four straight seasons. He started in each of the 49ers’ three NFC championship games earlier this decade and Super Bowl XLVII. But since the end of the 2013 season, Davis has played just eight games.
Coming into the NFL as a 20-year-old rookie nine years ago, Davis will not turn 30 until midway through this coming season. But it will obviously be difficult for a team that considers him to be convinced he will stick with football. That said, any Davis deal would likely qualify as a flier and be a low-risk addition, financially speaking. The Saints signed Derek Newton last year, after the former Texans right tackle starter missed more than two years due to severe knee injuries. Without those kind of injury concerns, it would not be too difficult to see a team inquiring about Davis.
Saints Sign RB Buck Allen
The Saints have signed running back Buck Allen, according to a team press release. In a related move, the Saints dropped running back A.J. Ouellette and cornerback Jordan Wyatt to make room for Allen and the previously reported addition of Matthew Dayes. 
Allen worked out for the Saints last week alongside fellow running backs Fozzy Whittaker and Robert Kelley. Allen, apparently, was the best of the bunch, even though he averaged just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt for the Ravens last year. The former fourth-round pick had some moments early on in his career – including his 12 catches for 107 receiving yards against the Dolphins in 2015 – but has never topped the 4.0 YPC mark in any of his four NFL seasons.
Allen and Dayes will try to make the cut behind an RB depth chart headlined by Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. Dwayne Washington and rookie Devine Ozigbo are also on the 90-man roster.
49ers Work Out Kayvon Webster
The 49ers worked out cornerback Kayvon Webster on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Webster stands as one of the best remaining free agents left on the board at this stage of the offseason. 
Webster also met with the Bears earlier this month, but left Chicago without a deal. Despite his recent injury troubles, he profiles as a potential difference-maker for the Niners who could be had on a cheap deal.
Webster joined the Texans late last offseason but played in just two games thanks to multiple injuries and two separate IR stints. Webster, who was lauded for his talent while buried behind big name corners in Denver, has failed to take the next leap forward in his career. Many expected big things when he reunited with Wade Phillips as a member of the Rams in 2017, but he failed to make a major impact in eleven games before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear.
The 49ers recently lost Jimmie Ward to a broken collarbone, so this would be an opportune time to see what Webster can do before Ward returns for training camp. The Niners also fortified their CB group by drafting Tim Harris in the sixth round, but there’s no guarantee that the rookie will make the final cut.