RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/17
Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:
RFAs:
Tendered:
- Buccaneers: QB Ryan Griffin (via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
- Chargers: WR Dontrelle Inman, ILB Korey Toomer (via Michael Gehlken)
- Dolphins: S Michael Thomas (via Tom Pelissero of USA Today)
- Lions: T Cornelius Lucas (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Ravens: CB Jumal Rolle (via Jamison Hensely of ESPN.com)
- Seahawks: T Garry Gilliam (via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com)
Non-Tendered:
- Cardinals: K Chandler Catanzaro, TE Darren Fells (via Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com)
- Chargers: RB Branden Oliver, DE Tenny Palepoi (Twitter links via Gehlken)
- Jets: TE Brandon Bostick, DT Mike Pennel (via Rich Cimini of ESPN)
- Packers: OLB Jayrone Elliott (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN), LB Jordan Tripp (per Demovsky)
- Seahawks: CB Mohammed Seisay, S Steven Terrell (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
ERFAs:
Tendered:
- Colts: WR Quan Brady (via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star)
- Seahawks: S Dewey McDonald, RB Troymaine Pope (Twitter links via Condotta)
Non-Tendered:
- Packers: RB John Crockett (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Latest On Brandon Williams
Although several clubs want to take a meeting free agent defensive tackle Brandon Williams, his agents are working on a contract with the Ravens, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
The 28-year-old Williams has so far spent his entire career with the Ravens, who selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft. Williams has been durable, having appeared in 16 games in each of the past three seasons, and productive. In addition to piling up 16 starts for the second straight year, he ranked as Pro Football Focus‘ 39th-best D-tackle among 127 qualifiers last season.
Williams, who rates as PFR’s No. 4 free agent interior defender, is expected to command a Damon Harrison-esque contract: five years, $46.25MM.
Ravens Interested In Morris Claiborne
The Ravens have expressed interest in free agent corner Morris Claiborne, tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report.
Claiborne, 26, transformed himself from a former draft bust to a legitimate top corner in his fifth NFL season, ranking as Pro Football Focus 12th-best corner last year year. Re-signed to a one-year deal worth only $3MM in 2016, Claiborne played in seven and posted one interception. Injuries forced Claiborne to miss more than half of the regular season, though he did return for the postseason.
Baltimore currently boasts Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Sheldon Price, Maurice Canaday, and Kyle Arrington at corner. The club made an addition to its secondary on Wednesday by signing safety Tony Jefferson, but cornerback help is still on the docket.
Ravens Re-Sign Ryan Mallett
The Ravens have agreed to re-sign backup quarterback Ryan Mallett. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) first reported the news.
Mallett also had interest from the Jets, Bears, and 49ers and was mulling opportunities with all four clubs as recently as Wednesday night, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link) On Thursday, he reached a decision.
Next season will be the third campaign in Baltimore for Mallett, who first joined the team late in 2015. Mallett had previous stops in New England, which chose him in the third round of the 2011 draft, and Houston.
The ex-Arkansas star attempted only four passes as a member of the Patriots, with whom he backed up Tom Brady, before garnering more playing time as a Texan. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder fared poorly in Houston, though, as he completed just 53.6 percent of passes, threw five touchdowns against six interceptions, and averaged only 5.3 yards per attempt across nine appearances and six starts. His tenure there ended shortly after he overslept and missed a team charter flight.
Now 28, Mallett hasn’t been particularly effective with the Ravens in six games and two starts (59.2 percent completion rate, two TDs against three picks, and 5.7 YPA), but the team is apparently comfortable with him in a reserve role behind Joe Flacco.
Ravens Trying To Re-Sign Williams, Mallett
As of earlier Wednesday, it appeared impending free agent defensive tackle Brandon Williams was definitely on his way out of Baltimore, but that’s not the case, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The Ravens are still working to re-sign Williams before the market opens Thursday.
[RELATED: Ravens To Sign Tony Jefferson]
The 28-year-old Williams has so far spent his entire career with the Ravens, who selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft. Williams has been durable, having appeared in 16 games in each of the past three seasons, and productive. In addition to piling up 16 starts for the second straight year, he ranked as Pro Football Focus‘ 39th-best D-tackle among 127 qualifiers last season.
Along with Williams, the Ravens are attempting to re-up a lower priority free agent-to-be in quarterback Ryan Mallett, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). After stints with New England and Houston, Mallett joined the Ravens late in the 2015 season and served as Joe Flacco‘s primary backup last year. In six appearances (two starts) with Baltimore, the 28-year-old has posted a 59.2 percent completion rate, two touchdowns against three interceptions, and 5.7 yards per attempt.
Ravens To Sign Tony Jefferson
A year after signing safety Eric Weddle, the Ravens are set to make another splash at the position in free agency. The club will sign Tony Jefferson, report Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini of ESPN (Twitter link).
Jefferson is the second big-name defender who has agreed to depart the Cardinals this evening, joining soon-to-be Jaguar Calais Campbell. The safety’s decision to sign with the Ravens came in spite of a better offer from the AFC North rival Browns, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Jets also had interest in Jefferson, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link), but Weddle helped convince him to head to Baltimore, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Jefferson hit clubs’ radars in the wake of a season in which he logged career bests in tackles (92), starts (14) and sacks (two). Although Jefferson failed to intercept a pass last year, and has recorded only two picks in four NFL seasons, he’s known for his line-of-scrimmage prowess and managed to rank an outstanding fifth in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 89 qualified safeties. He also rated as our 11th-best free agent and top safety.
The addition of an in-his-prime Jefferson, 25, is a boon for the Ravens, but not for one of their other safeties, Lardarius Webb. The team is now primed to release him and pick up $5.5MM in cap room, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Interestingly, PFF liked the 15th-ranked Webb’s play nearly as much as it did Jefferson’s last season. However, at 31, Webb is the far older of the two. To this point, he has spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore, where he has amassed 111 appearances, 82 starts and 13 interceptions. Webb started all 16 of the Ravens’ games last year.
Ravens Expected To Lose Brandon Williams?
Brandon Williams tenure with the Ravens may be on ice. Although Baltimore is reportedly working to re-sign the veteran defensive tackle, Williams might not return to Baltimore next season, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Still, the Ravens are still “very much” in the mix for Williams, adds Zriebec. The Sun scribe continues that there have been plenty of “rumblings” regarding Williams signing with the Giants, but he’s unsure if a decision has been made.
The 2013 third-round pick has spent his entire four-year career with the Ravens. He’s played in 16 games for each of the past three seasons, and he’s started every game over the past two campaigns. This past season, he collected 51 tackles and one sack. Pro Football Focus graded Williams as the 39th-best defensive tackle last season among 127 eligible candidates. Meanwhile, we ranked Williams as the third-best available defensive tackle.
The Ravens currently have two defensive tackles on their roster in Michael Pierce and Carl Davis. Meanwhile, the Giants are rostering Jay Bromley, Damon Harrison, Anthony Johnson, and Robert Thomas.
Browns Have High Bid On Tony Jefferson
The Browns are in on Tony Jefferson and their offer is currently the most lucrative one on the table, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Ravens, he adds, are also involved.
This week, I ranked Jefferson No. 11 on my Top 50 Free Agents List, which lists players in order of earning power. I estimated a $10MM+/year salary for Jefferson, particularly since Eric Berry is now off of the market. Jefferson is far and away the best strong safety in this year’s free agent crop.
The Cardinals want to keep Jefferson, but they expect to lose him. The Buccaneers, Redskins, Titans, and Panthers would all make varying degrees of sense for him, but it’s not clear if they are serious bidders.
One notable safety came off the market on Wednesday when Barry Church agreed to terms with the Jaguars. Duron Harmon, Jonathan Cyprien, T.J. McDonald, and Micah Hyde remain on the board. Darius Butler could also play safety, if asked.
Ravens Likely To Sign Torrey Smith?
There is “a very, very strong likelihood” of Torrey Smith signing with the Ravens, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Smith, of course, spent the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore. 
A reunion with Smith would be more than a great feel good story – it could potentially give the Ravens a replacement for Kamar Aiken if he gets away via free agency. Currently, the Ravens’ wide receiver depth chart is headlined by Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, and Chris Moore. Wallace could wind up as a cap casualty this spring.
While with the Ravens, Smith averaged 53 catches, 898 yards, and eight touchdowns per season. His strongest overall year came in 2013 when he caught 65 passes for 1,128 yards and four scores, but his eleven touchdown total in the following campaign was nearly as impressive.
The Niners cut Smith this week while he was in the midst of his $40MM deal. The wideout wasn’t nearly as productive in San Francisco. Smith caught 33 passes for 663 yards and four touchdowns during his first season with the 49ers, and he led the league with a 20.1 yard-per-reception mark. The veteran played in 12 games in 2016, but he finished with career-lows in receptions (20), yards (267) and touchdowns (three).
Previous reports linked Smith to both the Ravens and the Eagles. We ranked the veteran as the eighth-best available wideout.
Ravens Release Elvis Dumervil
Once again, Steve Smith is breaking news. The Ravens are releasing linebacker Elvis Dumervil, according to the retired wide receiver (on Twitter). The team has since confirmed the news.
By releasing Dumervil, who had one year left on his contract, the Ravens opened up $6MM in cap space. However, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome says he has not closed the door on a possible return (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer).
Dumervil, 33, played in only eight games last year but still managed three sacks. Before that half-season, he missed just one game out of 48 possible appearances from 2013-15 and totaled 32.5 sacks. In 2014, he had 17.5 sacks on the season.
Dumervil now joins a linebacker market that includes names such as Dont’a Hightower, Zach Brown, Kevin Minter, Perry Riley, and Lawrence Timmons. Given his age and injury history, he may have to settle for a one-year deal with a modest base salary.
The Ravens will presumably add some reinforcement at the position to replace Dumervil. The team now has six linebackers under contract in Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, Kamalei Correa, Matt Judon, Albert McClellan, and Za’Darius Smith.