Bills Audition RB Orleans Darkwa
The Bills recently worked out free agent running back Orleans Darkwa, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Darkwa, who last played for the Giants, is now back to full health after having a plate removed from his leg. 
Because of his medical issues, Darkwa hasn’t drawn a ton of interest in free agency so far, though he did visit the Patriots in April. The Giants reportedly had some level of interest in re-signing him, but he was left out in the cold after they drafted Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick and signed veteran Jonathan Stewart. The crosstown Jets were also eyeing Darkwa at one point, but signed Isaiah Crowell and Thomas Rawls.
Darkwa, who is still only 26, ran for 751 yards off of 171 carries, giving him a 4.4 yards per carry average. It was an ugly year for the Giants on the whole, but Darkwa excelled on a personal level.
The Bills, of course, have some potential needs at running back as LeSean McCoy‘s situation lingers. Outside of McCoy, the Bills have Chris Ivory, Travaris Cadet, and Taiwan Jones, and that’s not a tremendous bunch.
Seahawks’ Thomas Willing To Miss Games?
It could be a while before we see Earl Thomas and the Seahawks reach a resolution. There’s a belief around the league that Thomas is preparing to sit out through training camp and into the regular season, unless he gets a new deal or is traded, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Haven’t Discussed Thomas Trade Since Draft?]
Thomas is under contract with the Seahawks for one more season and is set to carry a $10.4MM cap hit. After celebrating his 29th birthday this offseason and watching the disappointing free agent safety market play out, Thomas is insistent on receiving a lucrative new contract now instead of next year.
The Seahawks have already lost several of their core defensive players this offseason and they can ill afford to start the year without Thomas. Thomas, who graded as the Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 ranked safety last year, has arguably been the league’s most consistent safety in the NFL since 2010.
To date, Thomas has spent his entire career in Seattle and picked up six Pro Bowl selections along the way. In 14 games last season, Thomas compiled 88 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions.
Raiders’ Mack Has Yet To Speak With Gruden
Is there real trouble brewing in Oakland? Defensive end Khalil Mack and Jon Gruden have not spoken once since the Raiders hired their new coach in January, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
[RELATED: Mack Won’t Show For Camp]
The Raiders are presently in a standoff with Mack, who is staying away from the team as he pushes for a new contract. Mack is obviously a big part of the puzzle in Oakland, so it’s shocking to hear that there has been no communication between him and Gruden over the last seven months.
Mack has averaged 12 sacks per season over the last three years. Last year, he graded out as the fifth best edge rusher in the entire league, per Pro Football Focus.
As it stands, Mack is slated to reach unrestricted free agency following the 2018 season. He’s scheduled to earn $13.846MM, per the terms of his fifth-year option. His deal accounts for nearly 8% of the Raiders’ salary cap, and he is likely seeking a deal that will give him a similar piece of the pie over a six-year span, even as the cap continues to increase. So far, talks have dragged.
Browns Work Out Adam Jones
The Browns will try out Bengals free agent cornerback Adam Jones on Friday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Jones, 35 in September, hasn’t been in the news much this offseason, save for his recent Atlanta airport fight (If you missed it, Jones won via knockout). It turns out that a lingering injury has kept him from auditioning for clubs.
“I had groin surgery the week after the Super Bowl,” Jones said in May. “I’m finally 100 percent from that, just got cleared by the doctors. Running full speed. Have been in contact with several teams, I expect it to pick up in the coming weeks.”
Jones was limited to just nine games with the Bengals in 2017, and didn’t fare particularly well in 299 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus assigned Jones the worst mark (47.1) of his entire career, although he performed relatively better in recent years. Aside from his work on defense, Jones can also be a factor in the kicking game, as he’s posted more than 300 combined kick and punt returns during his NFL tenure.
The Browns’ new look secondary features three new starters – free safety Damarious Randall and cornerbacks T.J. Carrie and Denzel Ward – plus new reserve corners E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell. The Browns have shown a willingness to shake things up, but they have also placed an emphasis on their locker room culture. Given Jones’ off-the-field history, it’s hard to say whether the Browns are serious about signing him.
Julio Jones Reports To Falcons
Julio Jones and the Falcons have reached a compromise. The star wide receiver will participate in training camp and the two sides will go back to the negotiating table next year. 
“We have had continued dialogue all offseason with Julio and his representation. We have come to an agreement with Julio, and we will re-address everything in 2019. I appreciate everyone’s hard work and communication on this,” GM Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. “This adjustment does not impede us from working on other extensions with other key members of our football team. We will continue to work on those contracts going forward.”
The Falcons converted roughly $2MM of Jones’ 2019 base salary into a bonus for 2018, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic (on Twitter) hears. That’s far from the mega extension that Jones was gunning for, but it’ll be enough to get him on the practice field and focused on football.
Last year, Jones had 88 receptions for 1,444 yards and he has given the Falcons four straight seasons with at least 1,400 yards receiving.. He’s made the Pro Bowl in each of his last five healthy seasons, positioning himself as one of the very best wide receivers in the game. However, with three years to go on his current contract, he didn’t have quite enough leverage to get a new deal.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Terrance Parks
Buffalo Bills
- Released: DL Tenny Palepoi
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Cam Serigne
- Released: DT Drew Iddings
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Mark Chapman
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Adonis Jennings, Kyle Lewis
Indianpolis Colts
- Signed: S Shamarko Thomas
- Waived: CB Juante Baldwin
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: OL Donavon Clark
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Aaron Lacombe, WR Khadarel Lott, WR JoJo Natson
- Waived: WR LaQuvionte Gonzalez, WR Ricky Jeune
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Izaah Lunsford
- Waived: TE Kyle Carter, P Taylor Symmank
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived/injured: DB Trey Johnson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Josh Liddell, T Jerry Ugokwe
- Waived/Injured: DT Channing Ward
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DE Claude Pelon
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Prince Charles Iworah
- Waived/Injured: RB Keith Marshall
Dave Gettleman’s Cancer Is In Remission
Dave Gettleman’s cancer is in remission, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Gettleman has been sharing the positive news with those close to him over the past few days.
Gettleman, 67, revealed in June that he had been diagnosed with a cancer of the lymphatic system. Thankfully, after a course of chemotherapy treatments, Gettleman is now in the clear. It is expected that he’ll continue treatments for the time being, Schwartz writes, but he is in a much better place than he was just weeks ago.
In December, the Giants hired Gettleman to be the fourth GM in club history. With 30 years of experience and a close relationship with ex-GM Ernie Accorsi, Gettleman was a natural fit for the position.
Cardinals To Sign Arthur Moats
The Cardinals and linebacker Arthur Moats have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter link). Moats met with Arizona on Wednesday morning and wound up with a contract by the afternoon. 
An eight-year NFL veteran, Moats spent four years with the Bills and the other four with the Steelers. The 30-year-old started 12 games and played 50% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps as recently as 2015, but his role was drastically reduced last year. Pittsburgh turned to younger defenders such as Bud Dupree, so Moats only saw action on 8.4% of the club’s snaps.
The Cardinals project to start Josh Bynes and Deone Bucannon at the inside linebacker spots with former University of Arizona tackling machine Scooby Wright among those in support. Moats could provide some additional veteran experience in that area, as well as special teams play.
Prior to his signing with the Cardinals, the Falcons were the only other known team to have expressed interest in Moats.
Rams Notes: Goff, Donald, Gurley
The Rams’ goal is to win while quarterback Jared Goff is still cheap, Michael David Smith of PFT writes. The Rams spent lavishly this offseason, giving new deals to Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley while adding the likes of Ndamukong Suh and Aqib Talib. Beyond that, there’s a fat contract likely coming for Aaron Donald and four of last year’s players (Andrew Whitworth, Lamarcus Joyner, Michael Brockers, and Mark Barron) have cap hits in excess of $10MM. These expenditures are only possible because Goff is on his rookie deal with a cap hit of less than $8MM this season.
At some point, however, the Rams will have to pay Goff something close to fair market value. In 2020, the Rams will have to retain him via the $20MM+ fifth-year option or sign him to a lucrative new contract. By then, the Rams will have some very difficult choices to make.
Here’s more from L.A.:
- Donald is nowhere to be found as Rams training camp gets underway, but GM Les Snead isn’t panicking. At least, not publicly. “We’re simultaneously working to make Aaron a Ram a long time – that’s the goal,” Snead said (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). “I know we’ll get questions about him, but Aaron’s a big part of who we are, where we want to go. We’re going to continue working to get something done with Aaron.”
- If Donald’s holdout extends beyond August 7, he will not accrue a fourth year of service for free agency. That’s because even though Donald would be a restricted free agent in 2019 without a new deal, a franchise tag would still be likely (Twitter link via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com). Without the franchise tag, it’s very probable that teams would entertain offer sheets for Donald on a first-round RFA tender.
- The details are in on Gurley’s new deal, and it’s an impressive haul for the young running back.
Lions Sign Ricky Jean-Francois
Veteran defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois has signed a one-year deal with the Lions, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). RJ-F met with Detroit on Wednesday morning and it did not take long for a deal to come together. 
The Lions have been in search of defensive line depth throughout the offseason and Jean-Francois, they hope, will help to sure up their group on the interior. The Lions will start A’Shawn Robinson and Sylvester Williams in the middle, but Jean-Francois will battle for a spot alongside last year’s sixth-round pick Jeremiah Ledbetter and Toby Johnson. The 31-year-old (32 in November) offers nine years of NFL experience while Ledbetter and Johnson have appeared in just 18 games combined.
This week, the Lions also met veteran Sealver Siliga. It’s not immediately clear how the addition of Jean-Francois will affect Siliga’s chances of signing with the Lions.