Patriots Decline Options For Brown, Dorsett
The Patriots had to make the call on three players with fifth-year options for the 2019 season. They have declined all three of them. 
[RELATED: Patriots Decline Danny Shelton’s Option]
In addition to turning down the option for defensive tackle Danny Shelton, the Pats have also declined an extra season for defensive tackle Malcom Brown and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Turning down Dorsett was something of a no-brainer and Shelton was something of a 50/50 proposition, but the decision to decline Brown’s option comes as a surprise.
Brown, the final pick in the first round of the ’15 draft, would have earned $7.154MM had his option been exercised. The Patriots may look to hammer out an extension to keep him in the fold beyond 2018, but it would likely be at a lesser rate per season. The 24-year-old defensive tackle has started in 37 of his 45 games for the Pats over the last three seasons. In that time, he has managed 8.5 sacks from the interior. In each of the last two seasons, he graded out as a top-32 player at the defensive tackle position, per Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots are known for crafty cap maneuvering, so they could be eyeing cheaper replacements in 2019 for their young defensive tackles. They would also stand to gain compensatory picks by losing either player to free agency after the 2018 season.
The option on Dorsett, 25, would have cost New England nearly $9.4MM in 2019. After Dorsett played sparingly in 2017 and amassed just 194 receiving yards, the team gave no real thought to extending him through 2019.
49ers To Decline Laken Tomlinson’s Option
The 49ers are not exercising fifth-year option on left guard Laken Tomlinson, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. However, he adds that the team still views him as a starter. With that in mind, the Niners will try to keep him around on a deal that will cost less than the $9.6M option. 
Tomlinson, 26, was made the No. 28 pick in the 2015 draft by the Lions. He started the first two years of his career at left guard for the Lions and served in the same capacity for the Niners after coming over in a trade last summer. Tomlinson missed the 2017 season opener, but played in the next 15 games.
Last year, Tomlinson earned the best marks of his career from Pro Football Focus. He graded out as the league’s No. 32 ranked guard, per PFF, which shows that he is clearly a starting caliber player. Still, the Niners believe that they can lock him up at a lesser rate going forward.
For now, he’s under contract for one more season as a part of an overhauled Niners offensive line. The Niners project to start three newcomers – guard Jonathan Cooper, center Weston Richburg, and first-round tackle Mike McGlinchey – along with Tomlinson and left tackle Joe Staley.
Patriots Decline Danny Shelton’s Option
The Patriots aren’t planning to pick up the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Danny Shelton, a source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Many expected the Pats to tack the additional year on to Shelton’s rookie deal, so this comes as a bit of a surprise. 
Shelton is now on course to hit the open market after the 2018 season. As shown on PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Tracker, Shelton would have cost the Patriots $7.154MM in 2019 had they exercised the option and kept him on the roster through next year.
The Patriots acquired Shelton from the Browns (along with a 2018 fifth-round pick) in exchange for a 2019 third-round choice. In his three seasons with the Browns, Shelton started in 45 of his 46 appearances and turned in some solid performances as a part of a not-so-solid Browns front seven. Even in a down 2017, he still graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35 ranked interior defender out of 122 qualified players.
As shown on Roster Resource, the Patriots also have Lawrence Guy and Malcom Brown in the middle, but Shelton should have an opportunity to compete for a first-string job in camp. Shelton has demonstrated the ability to play in multiple schemes and his versatility should make him a solid replacement for Alan Branch in the rotation.
Jaguars Decline Dante Fowler’s Fifth-Year Option
The Jaguars elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on defensive end Dante Fowler, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. However, he adds that the Jags still believe he’s an ascending player and hope to sign him to a long-term deal. 
The decision on Fowler may have been one of the trickier calls in this year’s bunch of fifth-year options. Fowler, 24 in August, missed his entire rookie season but became a solid contributor for the team upon taking the field in 2016. Last year, he set new career highs with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.
Still, extending Fowler’s deal through 2019 would have cost the team an additional $14.2MM. The option is guaranteed for injury only, but that would have been a risky proposition in light of his 2015 ACL tear.
Fowler will return as the Jaguars’ first defensive end off of the bench behind starters Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell. Campbell has three years to go on his four-year, $60MM deal with the Jaguars and the team will have to address Ngakoue’s contract after the 2019 season, so there’s definitely a limit on how much they can pay Fowler.
Latest On Dez Bryant
The market for Dez Bryant is not nearly as strong as he expected it to be. At this point, there are “far more” teams unwilling to pay Bryant the league minimum salary than there are teams that would consider Bryant, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via PFT). 
Bryant recently turned down a multi-year offer from the Ravens and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) hears that it was in the neighborhood of the team’s three-year, $21MM deal for Michael Crabtree. The wide receiver wanted a one-year deal that would allow him to cash in as a free agent in 2019, but the Ravens could only offer Bryant a multi-year deal due to cap restrictions.
Right now, it looks like Bryant has overplayed his hand. Bryant may have to settle for less than the $7MM average annual value he would have gotten from Baltimore, which is a tough pill to swallow given his previous five-year, $70MM deal with Dallas.
Bryant says that he would like to sign with an NFC East team in order to play against Dallas twice in 2018, but it’s not clear whether he’ll find serious interest from the Eagles or Giants. We learned shortly after Bryant’s release from the Cowboys that the Redskins are not looking to sign him.
Giants Sign DT A.J. Francis
One team’s trash can be a rival’s treasure. On Wednesday, the Giants signed defensive tackle A.J. Francis. 
Francis was released by the Redskins this week as a part of their defensive line overhaul. The 6’5″, 337-pound lineman has bounced around the NFL, but the Giants are curious to kick the tires on him. Details on Francis’ deal are not currently known, but it is likely a one-year deal for the minimum salary with little or no guarantees. If Francis doesn’t pan out, the Giants can easily move on and release him before the final 53-man cut in September.
Francis has played in nine regular season games – one for the Dolphins, two for the Seahawks, and six for the Redskins. Last year, he had 18 total tackles (five solo) for the Redskins. Interestingly, his best game of the year came in the season finale against the Giants when he recorded six tackles.
Steelers Place Ryan Shazier On PUP List
The Steelers have placed Ryan Shazier on the PUP (Phyiscially Unable To Perform) list. This was the expected course of action after GM Kevin Colbert announced in February that Shazier would not be able to play in 2018. The move means that Shazier will not count against Pittsburgh’s 90-man roster.
Shazier, of course, suffered a serious spinal injury against the Bengals in Week 13. He underwent successful spinal stabilization surgery in December, but as we saw from his on-camera appearance during the NFL Draft, he has a long way to go in his recovery. An eventual return to the field has not been ruled out, but Shazier will first focus on his general well-being and mobility.
“That’s a huge lift, for not only him, but for us,” said Colbert after watching Shazier walk across the NFL Draft stage to announce the Steelers’ first round pick. “To see where he’s come from to where he is and knowing where he might be able to go, it’s beyond inspirational. It’s just exciting. It’s really exciting for him.”
Shazier, meanwhile, said he was touched by the tremendous reaction he received in Dallas.
“It motivates you when you get the reaction you get from the crowd,” said Shazier. “The people at Ohio State loved me before I got hurt. The people at the Steelers loved me before I got hurt. Just the fact that I am going through this, so many people have been reaching out, praying and having their hands of protection around me. It really means a lot.”
Browns Trade TE Randall Telfer To Chiefs For LB Dadi Nicolas
The Browns are trading tight end Randall Telfer to the Chiefs for linebacker Dadi Nicolas, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns were said to be shopping Telfer in recent days. 
The Browns are well set at tight end with holdovers David Njoku, Seth DeValve, and free agent addition Darren Fells, so Telfer became expendable this offseason. The 2016 sixth-round pick started in 14 games for the Browns last season, but he caught just three passes for 36 yards and finished a distant third amongst Cleveland TEs in catches. The new regime didn’t see a place on the roster for Telfer, which is understandable since he is a blocking specialist and Fells is viewed as a better one.
Nicolas, 26 in September, appeared in eleven games for the Chiefs in 2016. Unfortunately, a ruptured patellar tendon suffered in January of last year cost him his entire 2017 season.
Bears Won’t Exercise Kevin White’s Option
The Bears won’t pick up wide receiver Kevin White‘s option for 2019, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). This was the expected move since White has been plagued by injuries so far in his young career. 
As a wide receiver taken in the top ten of the 2015 draft, the extra year for White would have cost a whopping $13.9MM. He is now officially entering his contract year, which could give him an opportunity to line up a nice payday in Chicago or another city. Last year, the Bears declined cornerback Kyle Fuller‘s option due to his up-and-down performance and he responded with a strong showing in 2018 that resulted in a new four-year deal worth $56MM with $18MM in guaranteed money.
Before White can dream of a substantial multi-year deal, however, he’ll have to focus on his health. The talented West Virginia product missed his entire rookie season due to injury and has appeared in a combined five games over the last two years.
Wednesday marks the deadline for teams to exercise the fifth-year option for eligible players. To keep track of all 32 decisions, check out PFR’s 2019 Fifth-Year Option Tracker.
Chargers Exercise Melvin Gordon’s Option
No surprise here, but the Chargers have officially picked up Melvin Gordon‘s option for the 2019 season (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Chargers general manager Tom Telesco indicated last month that he would add the additional year to Gordon’s deal. 
Gordon, the No. 15 pick in the ’15 draft, will earn $5.605MM in the 2019 season. The option is guaranteed for injury only, so the Chargers could theoretically bail on the extra year if Gordon’s performance slips for non-health reasons.
Gordon is coming off a career-high 1,105 yards on the ground, so the Chargers seem pretty likely to move forward with the fifth-year. Gordon also had 58 catches for 476 yards and four touchdowns in 2017.
The Wisconsin product got off to a slow start in his NFL career as he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry as a rookie. Over the last two years, he has stepped that up to a more respectable 3.9 yards per tote average as the Bolts’ primary rusher. He has also shown the ability to perform in the red zone with 18 rushing TDs and six receiving TDs to his credit over the last two years.