Cowboys To Meet With Kony Ealy
Jets free agent defensive end Kony Ealy will meet with the Cowboys On Tuesday, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, he has “remained in discussions” with Gang Green over the past few weeks, Rapoport adds. 
Ealy, 26, was shipped from the Panthers to the Patriots last offseason, but was cut by New England in August. The Jets claimed him off of waivers – beating out the Cowboys with a higher waiver priority – and he put together a solid season in New York.
Ealy’s one sack and 14 total tackles don’t exactly jump off of the page, but he saw time on 451 snaps as a part of the defensive line rotation and started in four of his 15 games. For his work, Pro Football Focus rated him as the No. 61 edge defender in the NFL last year, which actually slotted him ahead of former teammate Julius Peppers, despite Peppers’ eleven sacks.
The Cowboys are set with Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford as their starting bookends, but Ealy could find work off of the bench in Dallas as a replacement for Benson Mayowa.
Raiders Cut Marquette King Over “Personality” Clash
Late last week, the Raiders cut fan favorite Marquette King in a move that was ostensibly about money. By releasing the punter, Oakland saved $2.9MM against the cap, but apparently that was not the only factor. King’s personality did not jibe with coach Jon Gruden, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) hears. 
Some of Gruden’s concerns may have been rooted in the on-field impact of King’s antics. While King is among the best at his position, he has tallied four personal fouls over the last two seasons. One of his most memorable moments came in December 2016 when the Bills were flagged for roughing the punter and King received a penalty of his own when he danced with the flag.
King’s personality won’t dissuade other teams from pursuing him. The Vikings reached out to King immediately after he was cut and more clubs are sure to follow this week.
Josh Rosen To Meet With Seven Teams
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen is set to meet with the Browns, Jets, Giants, Cards, Broncos, Bills, and Chargers in the coming weeks, according to Peter King of The MMQB. Cleveland gets the first crack at Rosen with a visit lined up for this week. 
[RELATED: Josh Rosen Will Play For Whoever Drafts Him]
King suspects that the Browns will ask Rosen about recent comments made by his former head coach, Jim Mora, in which he advocated for USC Sam Darnold go to No. 1 overall.
“Because of fit, I would take Sam Darnold if I were the Cleveland Browns. I think that blue collar, gritty attitude, I think his teammates will love him, I think the city will love him. He’ll say the right things. He will come in and he will represent well. I think he kind of represents what Cleveland is. And if I was one of the New York teams, I would take Josh *snap* just like that. I think they will both be great in the pros.”
In his conversation with King, Mora expounded on those thoughts a bit, but didn’t exactly backtrack.
“He needs to be challenged intellectually so he doesn’t get bored,” Mora said, while reemphasizing the angle of Rosen needing the proper “fit.” “He’s a millennial. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they’re good. Josh has a lot of interests in life. If you can hold his concentration level and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire. He has so much ability, and he’s a really good kid.”
Mora’s comments may be a topic of discussion for interested teams, but it would be shocking to see Rosen fall any further than the Jets at No. 3.
Extra Points: Panthers, Broncos, Cravens, Jets, Titans
Labeled as a frontrunner in the bidding to become the new Panthers owner, businessman Ben Navarro will make a visit to the team’s facilities next week, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter link). Person also notes another suitor, Alan Kestenbaum, was in on Wednesday.
A vote on a new owner is expected to take place during late-May meetings in Atlanta, according to David Newton of ESPN.com, who adds a reported sale price of $2.5 billion could potentially be a bit inflated. The last franchise that was sold, the Bills in 2014, went for $1.4 billion.
According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, Navarro is already being vetted by the NFL. The South Carolina businessman is the founder of Sherman Financial, but some owners have had concerns about how Navarro made his money.
Navarro and Kestenbaum are joined by Steelers minority owner and hedge-fund billionaire David Tepper as the perceived top contenders to acquire the franchise. The reported sale price has already helped one potential suitor, Michael Rubin, withdraw his name from the running. Rubin’s group reportedly included Sean “Diddy” Combs and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Thanks to a video produced by Sports Illustrated, we have some insights into the offers received by cornerback Malcolm Butler before he agreed to sign with the Titans. Early on, the Bears pitched him on a three-year, $30MM deal while the Texans offered a one-year contract (value unknown). It seems that Tennessee greatly outbid the other suitors after signing him to a five-year, $61.25MM deal with $24MM fully guaranteed.
- For their offseason so far, the Jets have received a grade of B- from ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Considering the team whiffed in its pursuit of Kirk Cousins, that’s not a bad grade to receive. Cimini cites, among other things, the team’s addition of Trumaine Johnson as the team’s most significant offseason signing so far.
- Su’a Cravens, who was acquired by the Broncos from the Redskins earlier this week, told Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post he wanted to play for a team that wanted him. “I can tell that Denver actually wanted me on the team. It wasn’t just, ‘This is smart for our team,” he said. Cravens sat out the entire 2017 season as a member of the Redskins. “I never felt like I could be myself with the Redskins. It’s a blessing obviously to be drafted by the Redskins and I will always thank them for giving me my opportunity. But I just think after my rookie year when I had those injuries, I just felt like things kind of changed.
Ravens Work Out WR Willie Snead
The Ravens auditioned wide receiver Willie Snead on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Snead participated in the same workout as fellow wideout Michael Floyd. 
Snead is a restricted free agent of the Saints at the lowest level tender, meaning that New Orleans has the option to match any offer sheet he signs. If the offer sheet is not matched, the team will not have to forfeit any draft compensation.
Snead, 26 in October, didn’t do much last season. However, in the previous two campaigns, he averaged 70 catches for 940 yards and four touchdowns. The Saints’ decision to not use a second-round tender on Snead may be an indication that they won’t go far to retain him.
Last year, as an exclusive rights free agent, he pushed for an an new big money contract and didn’t get it. Snead is unlikely to hit the jackpot this time around, but he could position himself for a bigger payday if he does well on a one-year deal elsewhere.
Chiefs Sign QB Matt McGloin
The Chiefs have signed quarterback Matt McGloin, according to a team announcement. The club also added wide receiver Nelson Spruce. 
McGloin spent time with the Eagles and Texans in 2017 but never saw the field. Before that, “Moxy” spent four years with the Raiders and made seven starts.
The Penn State product currently slots as the team’s No. 3 QB behind starter Patrick Mahomes and backup Chad Henne. There’s still a long way to go between now and the start of the season, however, so there’s no guarantee that McGloin will make the final cut.
Ravens Work Out WR Michael Floyd
The Ravens tried out former Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Ravens are the first known suitor for Floyd in free agency. 
Late last year, Floyd expressed a desire to return to Minnesota. But, so far, we haven’t heard much on that front.
“I would like to stay here, for sure,” Floyd said in December. “I love this place.”
Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald, Floyd slipped down the depth chart in Arizona. When he was cuffed for a DUI in December of 2016, that proved to be the last straw for the Cardinals. He was claimed off of waivers by the Patriots, but didn’t see much in the way of playing time. Last offseason, he hooked on with Minnesota, but was not much of a factor in their offense.
On the plus side, Floyd says he’s on the straight and narrow.
“The partying stopped,” he told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I was going out all the time and having fun. Now, I’m mostly focused on work and hanging out with my teammates. … I go out now, but I don’t drink.”
Raiders Release Punter Marquette King
The Raiders announced that they have released punter Marquette King. King has been a longtime fan favorite, but new head coach Jon Gruden will seek out a different fourth-down solution. He was in the midst of a five-year, $16.5MM contract signed in March of 2016.
The charismatic King, who led all punters in Pro Bowl fan voting this year, was the NFL’s punting yards leader in 2014 and earned a second-team All-Pro nod in ’16. Last year, King’s 47.4 yards per punt average was good for sixth in the NFL and his net average of 42.7 per try was third behind only Brett Kern (Titans) and Johnny Hekker (Rams).
Hekker is widely regarded as the best punter in the game today, but King has a similarly strong reputation. He is now free to find work elsewhere while the Raiders save $2.9MM against $150K in dead money.
Colby Wadman, 22, now stands as the only punter on Oakland’s roster. The team may bring in some competition for him between now and camp.
Jets Meet With C Travis Swanson
The Jets announced that free agent center Travis Swanson visited with the team. To this point, Swanson has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the Lions.
Swanson has been the Lions’ full-time starter at center for the last three seasons. This marks his first reported visit of the free agency period, however, and his late-season concussion might have something to do with that. For what it’s worth, Swanson’s representatives say he didn’t actually suffer a concussion in 2017, despite what was on the injury report. Instead, they claim his symptoms were cause by a bad reaction to medicine he was given.
The 27-year-old has 42 games worth of starting experience, but he’d be a backup behind free agent pickup Spencer Long if he signs with the Jets. The Dolphins also expressed preliminary interest in Swanson earlier this month.
The Lions and Jets could effectively swap centers this offseason. Earlier this week, Detroit signed former Jet Wesley Johnson.
Jets Sign RB Thomas Rawls
The Jets announced the signing of running back Thomas Rawls. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely an inexpensive one-year pact. 
Rawls first entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015 with the Seahawks. He broke out in his first NFL season when Marshawn Lynch was sidelined with an abdomen injury. In his first start, Rawls amassed 104 yards off of 16 carries and later turned in a 209-yard game. Things trailed off after that, however. He missed significant time in 2016 with a fractured fibula and became an afterthought in 2017.
If Rawls can return to his old form, he could serve as a complementary piece behind new addition Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell.