Minor NFL Transactions: 2/26/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: WR Larry Pinkard (Jaguars)
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: OT John Theus
Bucs To Decline C Joe Hawley’s Option
The Buccaneers will decline their $2.5MM option for 2018 on center Joe Hawley, a source tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). They haven’t closed the door on bringing him back, but a veteran OL on the market. 
Hawley was the Bucs’ primary starter in the middle in 2015 and 2016. Last offseason, the team shifted Ali Marpet from right guard to center, pushing Hawley to a reserve role. He saw an uptick in playing time when Marpet hit the injured reserve list in November, but he made only four appearances with two starts on the year. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus did not look kindly on his small sample of 203 snaps.
It makes sense for the Bucs to explore re-signing Hawley on a cheaper deal, but he may look for a better situation in March before agreeing to anything. With 54 career starts to his credit, the 29-year-old probably feels deserving of more playing time than the Bucs are looking to give him.
Fellow Buccaneers interior lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith is also due for free agency in March, so there might not be room for both players in 2018.
Chiefs Expected To Release Ron Parker
The Chiefs are expected to part ways with Ron Parker this offseason, sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. By cutting the safety, KC will save nearly $5MM against the salary cap with just $2MM in dead money. 
The Chiefs re-signed Parker to a five-year, $30MM deal during the 2015 offseason, a pact that seemed a little rich at the time given his level of experience. Parker established new career highs across the board in 2014, but that was his very first season as a starter.
In 2017, Parker had the worst Pro Football Focus score of his career (40.1) and rated as one of the worst qualified safeties in the NFL. With his 31st birthday around the corner in August, it’s not a surprise to hear that the Chiefs are looking to cut bait.
Once Parker is cut and the trades of quarterback Alex Smith and cornerback Marcus Peters are made official, the Chiefs are expected to have roughly $19MM in cap space to work with. They’ll gain another $6.6MM in cap space if outside linebacker Tamba Hali retires or is released.
NFL Awards Compensatory Picks To 15 Teams
The NFL has awarded 15 compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained.
This year, the 32 comp picks were dispersed to 15 different teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Round 3
- No. 97 overall – Cardinals
- No. 98 overall – Texans
- No. 99 overall – Broncos
- No. 100 overall – Bengals
Round 4
- No. 133 overall – Packers
- No. 134 overall – Cardinals
- No. 135 overall – Giants
- No. 136 overall – Patriots
- No. 137 overall – Cowboys
Round 5
- No. 170 overall – Bengals
- No. 171 overall – Cowboys
- No. 172 overall – Packers
- No. 173 overall – Cowboys
- No. 174 overall – Packers
Round 6
- No. 207 overall – Packers
- No. 208 overall – Cowboys
- No. 209 overall – Chiefs
- No. 210 overall – Raiders
- No. 211 overall – Texans
- No. 212 overall – Raiders
- No. 213 overall – Vikings
- No. 214 overall – Texans
- No. 215 overall – Ravens
- No. 216 overall – Raiders
- No. 217 overall – Raiders
- No. 218 overall – Vikings
Round 7
- No. 251 overall – Chargers
- No. 252 overall – Bengals
- No. 253 overall – Bengals
- No. 254 overall – Cardinals
- No. 255 overall – Buccaneers
- No. 256 overall – Falcons
The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers and Raiders lead the way in comp picks this year with four. The Cardinals and Texans each snagged three, the Vikings own two, and the Falcons, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Giants, and Buccaneers each have one.
David Harris Retires From NFL
David Harris is calling it a career. The former Jets and Patriots linebacker announced on Friday that he is retiring from the NFL. 
“After 11 years of having played the greatest team sport at its highest level, it’s now time for me to announce my retirement from the NFL,” Harris said in a statement provided by his agency.
Harris signed a two-year, $5MM deal ($1.25MM guaranteed) with the Patriots in June after he was dropped by the Jets in June. The team’s decision to release Harris came as a surprise given the timing of the move. Unable to take advantage of the first or even second wave of free agency, Harris signed a relatively modest deal with New England, giving him a chance to win a Super Bowl while getting some revenge on his former team.
From a football perspective, Harris’ second act with the Patriots was not a rousing success. The 34-year-old saw only 181 snaps during the regular season thanks to his decreased speed and lack of ability to drop back in coverage. Still, he was retained throughout the year for his leadership skills and the Patriots did reach the Super Bowl with him on the roster.
Harris spent ten years with the Jets after joining the team as a second-round pick in 2007. His 147 career starts in green are good for sixth all-time in franchise history.
Trey Burton Unlikely To Return To Eagles
The defending champions are looking to keep the band together with limited cap space this offseason. Already, they’re on the verge of losing at least one key player. The Eagles are unlikely to retain tight end Trey Burton and he is expected to sign with another team in March, a person with knowledge of the negotiations tells Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. 
The Eagles made an offer that Burton, but the tight end did not consider that proposal to be “serious,” according to the source. Burton now projects as the best tight end available on the open market.
Burton most of the season behind Zach Ertz on the Eagles’ depth chart. The undrafted free agent then saw an uptick in playing time when Ertz suffered a concussion late in the season. In the Super Bowl, Burton cemented his place in Philadelphia lore when he threw the “Philly Special” touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles.
In the regular season, Burton caught 23 passes for 248 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. There are bigger names in this year’s free agent TE crop such as Jimmy Graham, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and Tyler Eifert, but Burton figures to command the largest offers of the group.
Jaguars Extend Coughlin, Marrone, Caldwell
The Jaguars have locked up executive vice president Tom Coughlin, GM Dave Caldwell, coach Doug Marrone with new two-year extensions, according to a team announcements. The fresh deals will keep all three men in place through the 2021 season. 
Coughlin, pictured here in his best gardening gear, joined Jacksonville last January. The Jags proceeded to shock the world by going from a 3-13 record in 2016 to 10-6 in 2017 and nearly defeating the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. This year, the Jaguars will look improve on their success and reach their first ever Super Bowl.
“The decision to extend the contracts of Tom, Dave, and Doug isn’t so much a reward for last season, which no doubt was impressive, as it is to recognize their important to our football team this coming season and for years to follow,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “We’re past celebrating the accomplishments of our division title and playoff run, and now it’s time to take the next step. We need the right leadership firmly in place to make that happen, and it’s good to know that we’ll have that with Tom, Dave, and Doug secure in their roles with the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
Marrone initially joined the Jaguars as their assistant head coach/offensive line coach in 2015 on Gus Bradley‘s staff. Marrone was appointed as the team’s interim head coach when Bradley was canned near the end of the season and had his interim tag removed on the same day that Coughlin was hired. Marrone wasn’t necessarily the sexiest choice after his awkward exit from Buffalo a few years back, but he was clearly the right pick.
Caldwell remains the team’s GM, but Coughlin has final say over the team’s 53-man roster. Coughlin reportedly did not ask for total roster control when he signed on last year, but Khan strongly felt that it was the right move. For his part, Caldwell has been a good sport about the structural change.
“I think Dave’s done a great job on talent, but he’s a young guy. I think he can learn lot from Tom. There might be a natural human emotion [from Caldwell] of, ‘Gee …’ but I think if you look at what’s best for the Jaguars, I think this is the structure,” Khan said last winter. “Dave gets to do the talent, and I think he’s worked hard. It’s, ‘How do we get more wins?’”
Chiefs Trade Marcus Peters To Rams
The Chiefs have agreed to trade cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will be officially processed on March 14. It is not yet exactly known what the Rams are sending to KC in return, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the Chiefs will receive “a package of draft picks.” 
Peters, a first round selection in the 2015 draft, has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. However, he has given KC brass some serious headaches over the years. In December, the Chiefs suspended Peters for a game despite being in the thick of the playoff hunt. Over the last couple of weeks, trade speculation bubbled around Peters and on Friday the Chiefs struck agreement on a deal to ship him out of town.
Peters made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons and earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2016. He did not pick up either accolade in 2017, but he did finish out with 46 tackles, nine passes defended, three forced fumbles, five interceptions, and his first career touchdown. All in all, he has 24 turnovers to his credit across three seasons.
As far as the advanced analytics are concerned, 2017 was his best season to date. His 85.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus is a career best, tying him for No. 17 amongst all CBs in the NFL. Slot specialist Nickell Robey-Coleman (No. 19) was the only Rams corner to come close to Peters last season with Troy Hill (No. 57), Trumaine Johnson (No. 68), and Kayvon Webster (No. 80) did not come close.
It has been widely assumed that Johnson, a pending free agent, would not be in the Rams’ plans this season. The Peters acquisition all but ensures that Johnson will be elsewhere in 2018. The Rams currently project to start Peters and Webster at cornerback.
Peters will earn just $1.7MM this season and can be controlled through 2019 via the fifth-year option. The option is projected to cost $9.5MM, which is still a solid value for what he provides.
After losing a close game to the Titans in the Wild Card round, the Chiefs are not resting on their laurels this offseason. The Peters swap marks their second major trade this offseason, following the deal that sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins.
[RELATED: Rams Depth Chart]
Jaguars Cut RB Chris Ivory
On Friday, the Jaguars announced the release of Chris Ivory. The running back spent the last two years with the Jaguars. 
In March of 2016, the Jags signed Ivory to a five-year deal worth $32.5MM with $10MM guaranteed. It seemed like a reasonable signing at the time since the Jaguars were armed with tons of camp space and Ivory was coming off of a 1,000+ yard, seven-touchdown season with the Jets.
Unfortunately, things did not pan out. Ivory missed considerable time in his first season with Jacksonville and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in his most recent campaign. His performance made for an easy call this offseason. The Jaguars are eating $3.25MM in dead money, but they’re also saving $3.69MM by dropping him.
Ivory will turn 30 in March and no longer profiles as an RB1 type. However, he could draw interest from teams looking for depth at the position.
In related moves, the Jags also waived rookie defensive back Jarrod Harper, rookie running back I’Tavius Mathers and second-year wide receiver Larry Pinkard.
Dolphins Meet With CB Vontae Davis
Where in the world is free agent Vontae Davis? On Friday, the cornerback continued his travels by visiting with the Dolphins in Miami, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
In the last week or so, Davis has met with the 49ers, Browns, Bills, and Raiders. He hopes to sign with a team before free agency opens on March 14, but not before doing his homework on several interested clubs.
Davis is in a unique position as an accomplished veteran who is free to sign with teams before most are eligible for the open market. That’s because the veteran was released by the Colts in November and did not return to the field last season. Surgery for a core injury held Davis back last season, but he recently gained medical clearance from doctors.
The Dolphins have two cornerbacks – Walt Aikens and Alterraun Verner – slated for unrestricted free agency next month. Safeties Nate Allen and Michael Thomas are also scheduled to hit the open market. As it stands, the team is slated to start Xavien Howard and Cordrea Tankersley at cornerback with T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones at safety. In theory, Davis could bump Tankersley from the CB2 slot after the rookie earned a dismal 53.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus, placing him as the No. 93 ranked CB out of 121 qualified players last year.