Latest On Allen Robinson’s Market
PFR’s No. 1 wide receiver available, Allen Robinson will be set to see a bevy of offers once the tampering window opens on Monday.
While Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports the Jaguars would love to retain the wideout they didn’t opt to use the franchise tag on, they will have immense competition. The Browns and Bears may be the two most aggressive pursuers, per La Canfora, but the Ravens and Panthers are also in the mix for the fifth-year receiver.
The Ravens missed out on a Jarvis Landry trade and may be set to revamp their receiving corps. The Panthers just traded for Torrey Smith. Neither of these teams can compete with the Bears or Browns in terms of cap space, with the Panthers sitting at less than $25MM and the Ravens at barely $4MM. JLC describes Baltimore and Carolina as expressing interest but maybe not on the level of Cleveland and Chicago’s.
Cleveland did add Landry and has outside receivers in Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman. However, neither of those players were acquired by this regime and, with Gordon’s rampant off-field issues and Coleman’s injury struggles, it’s possible the front office wants more help in addition to Landry. The Bears have a bigger need at wideout after its previous corps struggled with injuries and production. The Browns hold more than $82MM in cap space, and the Bears are sitting on just more than $50MM.
Robinson doesn’t have the cleanest track record as far as staying on the field, but his dominant 2015 season (14 touchdowns, 1,400 air yards) understandably would have teams teeming with interest.
Extra Points: Lions, Ebron, Ravens, Bailey
The Lions met with tight end Eric Ebron on Thursday to discuss his future, Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Team officials let him know that they are are open to dealing him and didn’t not guarantee that he’ll be back with the team for 2018.
Ebron, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 draft, has had an up-and-down career in Detroit. On the plus side, he had less issues with dropped passes in 2017 than in years past.
There’s reason to believe that Ebron, who doesn’t turn 25 until April, can grow from here. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 57 catches for 642 yards and it’s possible that a change of scenery can help him reach the next level.
Here’s more from around the NFL on a busy Friday:
- The Ravens have spoken to Crockett Gillmore about a return, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Gillmore is making the switch from tight end to the offensive line and Zrebiec writes that the Ravens’ mainly just want to get a sense of where he is health-wise before pursuing a new deal with him. Of all of Baltimore’s pending unrestricted free agents, Zrebiec says that Gillmore is the most likely to return.
- The Ravens also have interest in re-signing wide receiver/kick returner Michael Campanaro, Zrebiec tweets. Campanaro led the AFC in punt returning last year.
- Four teams have expressed at least some interest in former Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. No contract offers have come in for him just yet, however. Bailey is looking to return to the NFL three years after being shot in the head.
Contract Details: Ravens, Redskins, Saints
Some financial details on contracts signed in recent days:
- Safety Deshazor Everett‘s contract with the Redskins is for two years and $2.6MM with a $250K signing bonus that represents the only guaranteed portion of the deal, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Evertt can void the 2019 season if he plays 85% of the defensive snaps or intercepts five passes in 2018. He can also receive up to $125K in roster bonuses each season. He’ll carry cap hits of $1.1MM this season and $1.475MM in 2019.
- Defensive end Brent Urban, who was re-signed by the Ravens earlier this week, will have a base salary of $1MM with some incentives on his one-year deal, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Urban missed the bulk of the 2017 season thanks to a Lisfranc injury, so he was facing a not-so-great market on Wednesday.
- George Johnson’s one-year deal with the Saints has a modest base of $915K base with a $483K split, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Johnson will carry a minimum salary benefit cap number of $720K.
Ravens Notes: Moncrief, Jensen, Campanaro
- Pending Colts free agent wide receiver Donte Moncrief could be a fit for the Ravens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Baltimore could certainly use help at wideout, as the club ranked 26th in passing DVOA a season ago and could be poised to lose several contributors over the coming weeks. Mike Wallace is scheduled to hit free agency next Wednesday, while fellow veteran pass-catcher Jeremy Maclin has been mentioned as a candidate for release. Moncrief, meanwhile, has been limited by injuries over the past two seasons, but is only 24 years old and managed a 64/733/6 line as recently as 2015. Per Rapoport, Moncrief is likely to sign a one-year deal, which makes sense given his limited record of recent production.
- Speaking of the Ravens, center Ryan Jensen is expected to garner a “nice” deal in free agency, and it’s unclear if Baltimore will be able to re-sign him, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun writes. Jensen is one of the top free agent centers on the market, but he only has one full season of starting experience. Still, his youth (age 26) should allow him to land a multi-year pact in a free agent market short on interior lineman. Meanwhile, receiver Michael Campanaro has already generated interest around the NFL based on his route-running and special teams prowess, per Zrebiec.
Ravens Re-Sign DE Brent Urban
The Ravens are keeping at least one of their free agents. On Tuesday afternoon, the Ravens announced a new one-year deal for defensive end Brent Urban. 
Urban was slated to start in 2017, but a Lisfranc injury shut him down after just three games. Injuries, of course, were a common theme for Baltimore in 2017. At the time, Urban became the 17th Ravens player to hit the injured reserve list. The injuries continued to pile up from there, but the Ravens still nearly made the playoffs and finished out with a 9-7 record.
The Ravens have other free agents to address in the coming days, including wide receiver Mike Wallace, tight end Benjamin Watson, and running back Terrance West. Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has indicated that the team will shake up its WR group, which may not bode well for Wallace’s future in Baltimore.
Military Official Cautioned Ravens Against Colin Kaepernick?
The Ravens were reportedly interested in signing quarterback Colin Kaepernick before the 2017 campaign, but a high-ranking U.S. military official may have been part of squashing the club’s plans to meet with the signal-caller, according to TMZ Sports. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh consulted with several friends while his team was discussing Kaepernick, and one such friend — the unnamed official — “cautioned” Harbaugh about the former 49ers signal-caller. While the official did not tell Harbaugh not to sign Kaepernick, he did indicate the Ravens should give Kaepernick a “set of specific guidelines to follow” in order to remain employed. Kaepernick, of course, was the progenitor of kneeling for the national anthem as a form of silent protest. After passing on Kaepernick, Baltimore went on to sign journeyman Thad Lewis to serve as depth behind starter Joe Flacco.
Ravens Inquiring About Jarvis Landry
Count the Ravens among the teams now connected to Jarvis Landry. The franchise-tagged wideout has been given permission to facilitate a trade and will sign his franchise tender to do so, and another receiver-needy suitor has emerged.
The Ravens join the Bears and at least three other teams among those to have discussed a potential deal with Landry’s agent, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
No agreement is imminent, but the Ravens being involved signifies they’re inquiring about the successful slot target as a potential solution amid a receiving corps rebuild. Ozzie Newsome indicated in Indianapolis the team is looking at a rebuild of its wideout cadre.
Baltimore does not have a reliable young talent on its roster. Its Breshad Perriman investment has not worked out. Mike Wallace is also a free agent and will turn 32 before next season. Soon to be 30, Jeremy Maclin has one year remaining on his contract after a disappointing season.
Landry’s tag is expected to be worth $16.2MM, and the Bears — the team most linked to Landry thus far — have far more cap space than the Ravens at $63MM-plus. The Ravens’ cap situation is again unenviable. As of Sunday night, they stand to possess $9MM-plus in cap space and have among the least in the league.
Maclin could be cut to save $5MM, but $2.5MM in dead money would come with that move. A Brandon Carr cut has a $4MM-$3MM cap savings-dead money outcome, with an Austin Howard release saving $3MM but tagging the Baltimore cap with $2MM.
But Baltimore is inquiring and would presumably be ready for an extension to reduce Landry’s 2018 cap hit.
Ravens Notes: Smith, Wideouts, Draft, Humphrey
The Ravens “continue to get positive reports” on cornerback Jimmy Smith‘s recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon. The veteran suffered the injury in a December win over the Lions. While there’s uncertainty if Smith will be ready in time for the start of the regular season, the defensive back has still been rehabbing the injury at the team facility “on a regular basis.”
“I see Jimmy. He’s there because he’s rehabbing. I see him in the building. He’s telling me he’s doing very well,” said general manager Ozzie Newsome (via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). “I spoke with Drew [Rosenhaus] earlier in the week and Drew indicated that he just spent some time with Jimmy and Jimmy was doing well.”
Before his injury, Smith had compiled 28 tackles, nine passes defended, and three interceptions. The 2011 first-round pick has spent his entire seven-year career with the Ravens.
Let’s check out some more notes out of Baltimore…
- Newsome previously said that the team is expected to reset the wide receiver position this offseason, and Zrebiec tweets that the sentiment “doesn’t bode well” for the returns of wideouts Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace. The duo combined for only 92 receptions, 1,188 yards, and seven touchdowns last season. Maclin has one year remaining on his contract (along with a $7.5MM cap hit), while Wallace is an unrestricted free agent.
- With the Ravens apparently seeking reinforcement at wide receiver, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets that a reunion with Torrey Smith is a “very real possibility.” The Eagles are expected to decline the 29-year-old’s 2018 option. Smith started 14 games during his only season in Philly, hauling in 36 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns. The 2011 second-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore.
- Despite Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti‘s assertion that his team wouldn’t select a successor to Joe Flacco, La Canfora believes the team could still “invest a high pick” on a quarterback in this year’s draft. The Ravens haven’t been in the market for backup quarterbacks, and the team is “most likely” to select a wideout with their first-round pick. However, the reporter notes that the team is doing “considerable work” on the rookie passers, and they “very well could use a top pick on a quarterback if the right guy is there.”
- The felony robbery charge against cornerback Marlon Humphrey has been dismissed, reports ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. The 2017 first-rounder was accused of stealing a phone charger from an Uber, but Judge Joanne Jannik ruled that there was no probable cause to prosecute. After being selected 16th-overall in last year’s draft, Humphrey filled in admirably for Jimmy Smith, compiling 34 tackles and two interceptions.
Could Ravens Pursue Tavon Austin?
- With the Rams reportedly set to move on from wide receiver Tavon Austin, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun wonders aloud if the Ravens could bring the former Dunbar star home. The Ravens need to overhaul their receiver corps this season with a particular emphasis on speed. The team has been widely connected to Jarvis Landry, but Austin would represent a much cheaper option in every sense of the word. The Dolphins hit Landry with the $16MM+ franchise tag in February with the hope of trading him, likely for draft compensation. Austin, meanwhile, seems likely to get released outright, even though the Rams would ideally like to recoup something for him. Because of the offset language in Austin’s contract, that means he could probably be had for the league minimum or close to it.
Salary Cap Rollover For All 32 NFL Teams
This week, the NFLPA updated its salary cap report to include the rollover amounts for all 32 teams in the NFL. The Browns, as expected, lead the league in $58.9MM in cap space rolled over from the previous season. Here is the full rundown of each team’s rollover amounts:
After the Browns, the 49ers ($56MM), Titans ($30.3MM), Jaguars ($27.8MM), and Jets ($17.3MM) boast the highest rollover amounts in the league. The Dolphins ($69K), Saints ($287K), Giants ($365K), Eagles ($514K), and the Seahawks ($547K) have the least amount of rollover. In total, teams carried over nearly $340MM from last season, good for an average of $10.6MM per club.