Seahawks Meet With WR Brandon Marshall
Former Jets and Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall is visiting the Seahawks, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). This marks Marshall’s first known visit since his release from the Giants in April. 
Marshall was one of several Giants receivers to go down with a serious injury in 2017. The veteran missed the missed the bulk of the year after undergoing ankle surgery in October. Without the services of Odell Beckham Jr. and Marshall, the Giants went into a tailspin and finished out with a 3-13 record last season.
Marshall topped 1,500 yards in his 2015 season with the Jets, but he has not been able to reprise that production in the last two years. In 2016, he had just 59 catches for 788 yards and three touchdowns, a big step back from the previous year in which he had a league-leading 14 TDs. Last year, he caught 18 passes for 154 yards in five games with zero TDs.
The Seahawks replaced Paul Richardson with Jaron Brown this offseason, but they could still use some additional firepower in their wide receiver group. Marshall would give the Seahawks a formidable top four of Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Marshall, and Brown, perhaps with the speedy Marcus Johnson rounding out the bunch.
Appeal Denied For Saints RB Mark Ingram
On Wednesday morning, Mark Ingram‘s representatives issued a statement to dispute the league’s claim that he violated the policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Apparently, the case has already been open and shut. Ingram’s appeal has already been heard and denied, Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune tweets. At this point, Ingram’s reps are just waiting for the full written decision from the arbitrator. 
[RELATED: Did Saints Consider Trading Ingram This Offseason?]
Ingram’s camp argued that the test results were somehow illegitimate while also noting that the substance in question “permissible with the proper use exemption with the NFL.” Of course, without the exemption, Ingram would still be in violation of league rules for having that substance in his system. Ingram’s fight may not be over, however, as the statement from his agents indicated that he would “explore what further options are needed” after reviewing the ruling.
Ingram is slated to miss the first four games of the season, but luckily for the Saints, it’s a relatively soft portion of the schedule with the Buccaneers, Browns, Falcons, and Giants on deck. They will lean a bit more heavily on Alvin Kamara to carry the ball, though they may take a closer look at veteran options to hold them over for the first month of the season.
Free Agent Orleans Darkwa Has Surgery
Giants free agent running back Orleans Darkwa had minor surgery on Wednesday morning to remove the plate in his leg he had inserted last offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. X-rays confirmed Darkwa’s initial fractured has healed in full, so he is now able to move forward without the plate that had been limiting his explosiveness. Darkwa should be good to go in four weeks, Rapoport hears. 
Darkwa had several offers in free agency, per Rapoport (on Twitter), but did not find any deals to his liking. Apparently, those clubs are encouraged by his decision to have the plate taken out. Darkwa’s market could ramp up in the next few weeks, particularly since the signing of unrestricted free agents no longer count against the 2019 compensatory draft pick formula at this stage of the offseason.
Darkwa hasn’t drawn a ton of interest in free agency, though he did visit the Patriots in April. The Giants reportedly had some level of interest in re-signing him, but they’ve since drafted Penn State standout 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 had the best year of his NFL career in 2017 with career-highs in starts (11), rushes (171), yards (751), and touchdowns (five). The 26-year-old managed 4.4 yards per carry, and also added 19 receptions for 116 yards in the passing game. Overall, Darkwa was roughly a league-average running back, as he finished 22nd among 45 qualifiers in DVOA, Football Outsiders’ efficiency metric.
Colts To Sign OT Austin Howard
The Colts are signing free agent offensive tackle Austin Howard, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Indianapolis is in desperate need for protection up front and the hope is that Howard will help to secure the pocket for quarterback Andrew Luck. 
It’s a one-year deal with a base value of $3.75MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Howard can also earn another $500K via incentives, which isn’t a bad haul for a free agent signing in May.
Howard’s option for 2018 was surprisingly declined by the Ravens in March. After joining the Ravens on a three-year, $16.5MM free agent contract last year, Howard responded with a solid year and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 offensive tackle. Overall, Baltimore’s offensive line was extremely effective, grading as top-five unit in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards, and adjusted sack rate, but they opted to go in a different direction at tackle and save $3MM in the process.
Howard, who has also spent time with the Eagles, Jets, and Raiders, will now suit up for his fifth NFL team. He’s the third offensive line newcomer of note in Indianpolis, joining first round left guard Quenton Nelson and second round right guard Braden Smith. All three seem likely to start as Howard projects to slot ahead of incumbent right tackle Denzelle Good.
Ravens Restructure Tony Jefferson’s Deal
Last year, the Ravens signed Tony Jefferson to a four-year deal worth up to $37MM. This year, the Ravens moved some of that cash around to give themselves breathing room under the cap. Baltimore converted $5MM of Jefferson’s $6MM base salary into a signing bonus, creating $3.3MM in space for 2018, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
As you may recall, the Ravens’ tight cap situation prevented them from signing Dez Bryant earlier this offseason. Bryant asked the Ravens for a lucrative one-year deal, but due to financial restrictions, the Ravens were only able to offer a three-year, $21MM deal that would have given him higher salaries in 2019 and 2020. Bryant turned Baltimore down and the Ravens instead signed restricted free agent Willie Snead.
Jefferson, 26, had a solid first year with the Ravens as he totaled 79 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception. Pro Football Focus ranked Jefferson as the 24th best safety in the NFL last year, which probably sets a more realistic standard for his future performance than his No. 5 ranking in 2016.
The Ravens project to start Jefferson and Eric Weddle at safety alongside cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith. Last year’s first-round pick Marlon Humphrey also figures to see significant playing time at corner.
After this season, Jefferson will have two more years to go on his deal with cap numbers of $10.99MM and $9.99MM.
Eagles To Sign RB Matt Jones
The Eagles will sign free agent running back Matt Jones, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jones worked out alongside two other running backs on Tuesday and won the competition. The Eagles have confirmed the news while disclosing that it is a two-year deal.
Jones, a former third-round pick of the Redskins, was Washington’s lead rusher for a time and showed promise in short bursts. However, he slipped down the depth chart over time and was jettisoned from the roster last year. The 25-year-old moved between the Colts’ active roster and practice squad last year but averaged less than three yards per carry in his limited time with the varsity squad.
Jones will now fight to make the cut with the defending champs. The Eagles will head into the season with Jay Ajayi as their primary ball carrier while Corey Clement, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, D.J. Pumphrey, and Jones vie for supporting roles.
Before signing Jones, the Eagles also auditioned former Ravens running back Terrance West.
Saints’ Mark Ingram To Fight Suspension
Saints running back Mark Ingram will fight his four-game suspension, according to a press release from his agents. Ingram, it seems, will argue against the validity of the test results. 
“At the end of the 2017 season, as a result of a NFL mandated random drug test, Mark Ingram tested positive for a substance that was not a performance enhancing substance, nor an illegal substance, but a substance in fact permissible with the proper use exemption with the NFL,” the statement reads. “He has vigorously challenged the test results through the arbitration process. The arbitrator’s opinion is due on or before Wednesday, May 16. Upon having the opportunity to review the arbitrator’s opinion, we will explore what further options are needed.”
Ingram’s reps also note that the substance in question is permitted to be used by players with a thereputic use exemption, but it doesn’t seem that Ingram had a TUE for whatever it was. The real crux of their case will come down to their challenge of the test results. In the past, players have questioned the handling of samples as well as the methods for testing.
For now, Ingram is scheduled to miss games against the Buccaneers and Browns and road contests against the Falcons and Giants. If the ruling stands, he will not play until Week 5 against the Redskins.
Victor Cruz Hopes To Continue Playing
We haven’t heard Victor Cruz‘s name much in recent months, but that doesn’t mean that he’s off of the NFL’s radar. At least, the wide receiver hopes that’s not the case. This week, Cruz said that he wants to continue playing football. 
“I just love the game. I think I can still play,” Cruz said. “I don’t want to exhaust all of that before I fall off.”
Cruz, 32 in November, inked a one-year, $2MM deal with the Bears last offseason. The deal included a a $500K signing bonus, but that guarantee didn’t stop the Bears from cutting him just before the start of the season. Cruz later lobbied the Giants to re-sign him after they lost Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris, and Sterling Shepard to injury, but the G-Men never reciprocated interest in a reunion.
This offseason, things have been largely quiet, though Cruz says there was some interest from teams before the NFL draft. In the last two weeks, the veteran says he hasn’t heard from teams with serious interest. Cruz says that he will retire if he doesn’t have an offer from a team by a certain date this summer, though he did not disclose the exact self-imposed cutoff point.
“Once that deadline comes, if nothing has happened, I’ll hang them up,” he said. “Probably around training camp time and then we’ll go from there.”
Cruz was successful during his run with the G-Men as he averaged 80 receptions 1,209 yards, and eight touchdowns per season from 2011-13. Since that time, however, injuries have robbed Cruz of his explosiveness. He has failed to top 40 receptions or 600 yards over the past four years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/18
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: RB Elijah Hood (from Raiders)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed: WR Ka’Raun White (from Seahawks)
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Brandon Chubb
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
- Waived: LB Sae Tautu
Saints Open To Trading Mark Ingram?
The Saints “may” have been shopping running back Mark Ingram this offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Saints may have to wait a bit to trade Ingram following his four-game suspension for PEDs, but it sounds like they could explore a deal once he is cleared to play. 
Rapoport hears that Ingram has been staying away from team in order to push for new deal. He is still after a new contract as he heads into his walk year, despite the ban, which he and his new representatives have been aware of for weeks.
Ingram was largely overshadowed by rising star Alvin Kamara last year, but he still turned in a solid season with new career highs in all major categories. Ingram also ranked seventh in Football Outsiders‘ DVOA, meaning he was effective on a per-play basis, and also finished as a top-15 pass-blocker among running backs, per Pro Football Focus.
Considering that Ingram is a 29-year-old running back who is entering a contract year and won’t be available to play for the first month of the season, there probably won’t be much of a market for his services. However, their reluctance to give him a new deal and willingness to trade him probably means that there won’t be a long-term future for him in New Orleans.