Titans Sign Xavier Su’a-Filo
The Titans announced they have signed free agent offensive guard Xavier Su’a-Filo. Sua’-Filo spent the previous four years of his NFL career with the Texans. 
[RELATED: Titans Extend GM Jon Robinson’s Contract]
Over the last two seasons, the 27-year-old has started in 31 of 32 regular seasons games for Houston. The advanced metrics have never been high on him, however, as Pro Football Focus has routinely rated him as one of the league’s lesser guards. In 2017, he was PFF’s third-worst qualified guard and ranked ahead of only Ethan Pocic (Seahawks) and Jeremy Vujnovich (Colts).
The Titans also built their offensive line depth this week by signing former Bucs lineman Kevin Pamphile. Josh Kline, Quinton Spain, Su’a-Filo, and Pamphile will all jockey for time, though Kline and Spain are the presumptive starters at guard.
Titans Extend GM Jon Robinson’s Contract
The Titans signed Mike Vrabel to a five-year deal this offseason to be their new head coach. Their GM, Jon Robinson, now has a deal to match. Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk tells Paul Kuharsky that she extended Robinson’s contract to take him through the 2022 campaign. 
“I’ve put them on schedule,” she joked.
The Titans hired Robinson in 2016 and the Titans have been on the right track since then. They have gone 18-14 under Robinson’s watch and they qualified for the playoffs in 2018, giving them their first postseason berth since 2008.
The Titans didn’t have the flashiest offseason in the NFL, but Robinson did make some moves of note. The Titans signed cornerback Malcolm Butler to a massive five-year, $61.25MM deal and also added fellow former Patriot Dion Lewis.
AFC Notes: Gruden, Kaepernick, Texans, Watson
Raiders coach Jon Gruden is surprised to see Colin Kaepernick without a job in the NFL, but he’s not necessarily of the belief that he is starting caliber.
“I think there’s a lot of intrigue there. His performance on the field wasn’t very good, on tape,” Gruden said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez). “I think, Robert Griffin III, a rookie of the year, surprised he’s out there. Tim Tebow, takes a team to the playoffs, there’s some surprise that he never came back. You know, Johnny Manziel, he’s out there. Back to Kaepernick, you know he got beat out by (Blaine Gabbert), to start the (2016) season. I think that says something. (But) I am surprised he’s not in camp with somebody. He probably will be soon.”
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Texans coach Bill O’Brien says quarterback Deshaun Watson is ahead of schedule in ACL rehab and could be on the field throwing for OTAs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s unlikely that he’ll participate in team periods, but he has a chance at doing some individual workouts.
- The Browns‘ two-year deal with Drew Stanton is worth $6.5MM, a source tells Rapoport (Twitter link). The deal includes $4.15MM fully guaranteed and carries a maximum value of $11.3MM.
- With Tyrod Taylor, Stanton, and a quarterback to be drafted later, the Browns are expected to shop Cody Kessler, Rapoport tweets. Kessler started eight games for Cleveland in 2016, but didn’t necessarily shine. Given Kessler’s performance and the fact that the Browns probably do not have him in their plans, I wouldn’t expect much of a trade market for him.
- The Colts moved down from No. 3 to No. 6, but they do seem inclined to trade down any further unless the expected run on quarterbacks fails to materialize, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. The Colts believe that at least two of this year’s top four quarterbacks (Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield) will go in the top five, leaving them to choose some of this year’s very best overall talents. If that’s the case, they’re content to stay put. “If it’s beneficial for us, and we think we have a deal that works long term, we’ll make the deal,” GM Chris Ballard said recently. “But (No. 6) is a good spot for us.”
Trevone Boykin Denies Allegations
On Tuesday, the Seahawks released quarterback Trevone Boykin following horrifying allegations of domestic violence from his girlfriend. In response, Boykin has released a statement denying that he was involved in a physical altercation with Shabrika Bailey last week. 
“I understand the Seahawks’ decision to release me. The story that was reported casts a bad light on the organization and on me. I want to be clear that the story is false,” Boykin said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). “The police have taken statements from the accuser, another witness, and me. All of these statements confirm that I was not involved in the physical altercation. This woman has lied about me and it has cost my job. I know guilt by association is real. This person has fabricated a story and I am suffering the consequences. I will let the legal system run its course and I know I will be vindicated.”
Bailey claims that an extremely violent incident with Boykin left her with a broken jaw and a constricted airway, resulting in a lengthy hospital stay. She also says that this was not a one-time event.
Needless to say, Boykin will not be on the radar for NFL teams while matters are hashed out in court.
Eagles Expect To Keep Nick Foles
This offseason, the Eagles set a sky high asking price for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Weeks later, it sounds like the quarterback is staying put. Head coach Doug Pederson says it’s “safe to say” that Foles will be with Philadelphia for the start of the 2018 season (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Sal Paolantonio). 
The Eagles were reportedly seeking a package greater than the first- and fourth-round picks they received from the Vikings in the Sam Bradford trade. There were a number of teams looking for a starting quarterback this year, but it appears that none of them were willing to meet that price. Even though the Eagles were faced with a cap crunch this year, they have found a way to retain Foles at his cap number of $7.6MM to return as Carson Wentz‘s backup.
Of course, at this point, every team in the league either is either set at the quarterback position or has their sights set on a top signal caller in this year’s draft. It would be hard to imagine a Foles trade materializing in March or April, but it’s conceivable that something could surface if a contending team loses their starter to injury in the summer.
Raiders Release TE Clive Walford
The Raiders are releasing tight end Clive Walford, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The former third-round pick is expected to find a new home quickly, Schefter says. 
Walford, 27 in October, had 33 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns in 2016. He also had similar numbers as a rookie. Last year, however, he was not a focal part of the offense thanks to the arrival of Jared Cook. Walford had just nine grabs for 80 yards and zero TDs while Cook put up a 54/688/2 stat line.
Jon Gruden is a proponent of two tight end sets, but he’ll lean on Cook and blocking specialist Lee Smith with some involvement from the newly signed Derek Carrier. By cutting Walford, the Raiders save $1.9MM against $200K in dead money.
Seahawks Release QB Trevone Boykin
The Seahawks have released quarterback Trevone Boykin, the team announced. This comes on the heels of accusations of domestic violence from girlfriend Shabrika Bailey. 
“So he goes into a choke. I remember him choking me and I’m trying to calm him down. And I just couldn’t. And I blacked out. I just couldn’t calm him down at all,” Bailey said as she described a violent scene from last Tuesday night with Boykin (via WFAA). “The pressure was just hard. The pressure got hard to where I just remember just collapsing completely. And I just woke up in a puddle of blood on the kitchen floor. My whole right side was full of blood on the kitchen floor.”
Bailey went on to explain that Boykin dragged her to the bathtub, took off her clothes, and tried to clean her up. Hours later, he brought her to the hospital, but fled when hospital staff separated the couple and began asking questions about the incident. Bailey was left with a broken jaw on both sides and had to be transported to a different hospital for treatment on her swollen and constricted airway.
Boykin has been in some hot water before, including an arrest last year for marijuana possession and public intoxication after Bailey reversed her car at a high speed, hit pedestrians on the sidewalk, and crashed into a bar. Bailey was hit with a host of charges, including a felony. Now, Bailey says that the crash happened after Boykin leaned over from the passenger side and choked her unconscious, causing the car to go into reverse. Boykin was also previously under probation for striking a police officer in late 2015.
Boykin was with the Seahawks for his entire NFL career and was slated to return for another season as Russell Wilson‘s backup. He won’t be doing that now and, if the allegations are proven to be true, it is extremely unlikely that he’ll ever play in the league again.
NFL Approves Rule Changes For 2018
At this week’s owners’ meetings, the NFL moved to ratify several proposed changes to on- and off-field rules. Here’s the full rundown:
Playing Rules Changes:
- By Competition Committee; Makes permanent the playing rule that changes the spot of the next snap after a touchback resulting from a free kick to the 25-yard line.
- By Competition Committee; Changes standard for a catch.
- By Competition Committee; Authorizes the designated member of the Officiating department to instruct on-field game officials to disqualify a player for a flagrant non-football act when a foul for that act is called on the field.
Approved 2018 Bylaws Summary
- By Competition Committee; Makes permanent the liberalization of rules for timing, testing, and administering physical examinations to draft-eligible players at a club’s facility.
- By Buffalo; For one year only, amends Article XVII, Section 17.4 to liberalize the rule for reacquisition of a player assigned via waivers.
3. By Denver; Amends Article XVII, Section 17.16 to permit clubs to trade players from Reserve/Injured.
4. By Minnesota; Amends Article XVIII, Section 18.1 to replace the 10-day postseason claiming period with a 24-hour period.
The change to this year’s catch rule, naturally, has garnered the most attention given the number of controversies around iffy catches last season. The new language means that the “survive the ground” verbiage will not survive in the new league year.
From a transactions standpoint, the rule change to allow players to be traded from the injured reserve list is an interesting one. Many deals have been scuttled in the past due to this restriction, but this adjustment could result in even more NFL trades going forward.
Conspicuously absent from the list is the “Josh McDaniels rule” that would have allowed assistants to be hired while their teams are still in the postseason. That proposal has been tabled until May, according to NFL.com’s Judy Battista (on Twitter).
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/27/18
We don’t dance now, we make minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: LB Ben Heeney
- Waived: WR Deante Gray
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OL Adam Gettis
Texans To Sign QB Brandon Weeden
The Texans are signing quarterback Brandon Weeden, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Weeden spent last season with the Titans but did not throw a pass for them during the season. 
Weeden has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for the Cowboys and two for the Texans. The 34-year-old (35 in October) has a career 6-19 record.
The 6’4″ signal caller currently profiles as Deshaun Watson‘s top backup, but things can change between now and the start of the season, particularly with the draft right around the corner. The Texans are keeping their options open at quarterback and even conducted a private workout with Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in the event that he slides in the draft.