Bills Not Shopping Glenn Aggressively
- On that front, the Bills are still open to trading Cordy Glenn, per JLC, but the team is not going all-out to unload him. Buffalo has seen Glenn suddenly become a perpetual injury risk after he’d been a durable player before his extension, and the team drafted Dion Dawkins in the second round last year. Glenn has a $6.5MM roster bonus due on March 18 and has a lofty $14.45MM cap number in 2018.
Browns Trade For Tyrod Taylor
The Browns’ busy day isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. After pulling off a deal for Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the team has now struck another blockbuster deal by acquiring Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a third-round draft pick (No. 65), ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. 
With the move, the Browns locked in their veteran quarterback for the 2018 season while maintaining all their first- and second-round selections and without spending big money on a veteran like Case Keenum or A.J. McCarron. The Bills now are in the market for a quarterback and could potentially package the third-round pick it just picked up in an effort to move up to grab one of the top signal-callers in the upcoming draft.
In his third season as the starter in Buffalo, Taylor continued to limit turnovers while being able to make plays down the field and with his legs. He threw for 14 touchdowns with only four interceptions and added 427 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. In Cleveland, Taylor will be outfitted with his most impressive receiver corps in his stint as a starter with Landry, Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman out wide.
The acquisition of Taylor presumably gives the Browns a stopgap under center, allowing the team to use one its first-round picks (No. 1 and 4) to tab a quarterback in the upcoming draft. Taylor is signed through the 2018 season at a cap number of $18 MM — $10 MM of which is guaranteed.
The move of Taylor away from Buffalo shouldn’t come as a shock. The team had refused to commit to the Virginia Tech product and it was reported in February the quarterback refused to take a pay cut after taking one the year before. Due a $6 MM roster bonus at the beginning of the new league year, it only made sense for the Bills to move on.
If the Bills do not attempt to package picks to move up in the draft, the team will enter the 2018 campaign with Nathan Peterman as its starter, barring any m0ves in free agency.
[RELATED: Browns Depth Chart]
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/8/18
Here are today’s minor moves.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Owa Odighizuwa
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Corey Moore
- Signed: DE Ufomba Kamalu
Jordan Matthews Likely To Test Market
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Bills free agent wide receiver Jordan Matthews said he expects Buffalo to gauge the wideout market before discussing a new deal with him, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Perhaps more interesting, Matthews claimed he received “bad diagnoses” on knee and ankle injuries he suffered as a member of the Eagles, but corrections were made following his trade to the Bills. Buffalo acquired Matthews from Philadelphia last August in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby and a third-round pick, and Matthews went on to produce a disappointing 25 receptions in 10 games. The 25-year-old is currently PFR’s No. 7-ranked free agent pass-catcher.
Bills Sign RB Chris Ivory
Chris Ivory is off of the board. The Bills are signing the veteran running back, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal worth $5.5MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal gives him $3.25MM guaranteed in the first year and it can be worth as much as $6MM.
Ivory was released by the Jaguars late last month, freeing him from the final three years of a five-year, $32.5MM deal. At the time, the Jaguars thought they were getting a high-end running back as Ivory was coming off of a 1,000+ yard, seven-touchdown season with the Jets. Unfortunately, he did not produce in Jacksonville. Last season, Ivory averaged just 3.4 yards per carry.
Even though we haven’t seen Ivory play consistently well since 2015, multiple teams expressed interest in recent days. The Browns also met with Ivory before he agreed to a deal with Buffalo.
Ivory will slot somewhere behind LeSean McCoy on the Bills’ depth chart. Other tailbacks currently under contract in Buffalo include Marcus Murphy and Aaron Green. Bills veteran running backs Travaris Cadet and Taiwan Jones are eligible for free agency next week, as is fullback Mike Tolbert.
Most of the league’s impact free agents will not be able to sign with teams until March 14. Because Ivory was released from his contract, he had the ability to sign with a club at any time. The Bills snagged another “early” free agent recently when they inked cornerback Vontae Davis to a one-year deal.
Bills Express Interest In RB Frank Gore
The Bills have expressed interest in veteran running back Frank Gore, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Gore himself was “eyeing” the Packers, per Barrows, but Green Bay has indicated its comfortable with its current running back depth chart.
The Colts have no intention of re-signing Gore, but the 34-year-old believes he can play for at least one more NFL campaign, reports Barrows. However, he has specific conditions for which he is searching in his next team. First, Gore wants to be a contributor — while it doesn’t sound as though Gore will require a starting role, he clearly wants to be significantly involved in an offense. Second, Gore prefers to play for a contender in what could be his final NFL season.
While Buffalo would meet that second criterion after earning a postseason berth in 2017, the Bills wouldn’t be able to offer Gore anything close to a starting job. LeSean McCoy finished second in the NFL with 287 carries a season ago, and he’s likely to be Buffalo’s offensive focal point in 2018. The Bills might aim to limit McCoy’s touches as he enters his 30s, but Mike Tolbert — Buffalo’s No. 2 running back last year — handled only 66 carries in 2017.
That Green Bay would not be interested in adding Gore shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as the club has several young running backs on its roster. The Packers drafted three running backs in 2017, and two of them — Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones — showed the upside of a long-term starter in their rookie seasons. The other rookie, Devante Mays, is still in Green Bay, as is Ty Montgomery, the wideout-turned-back who was the Packers’ starter to open the year.
Now hoping to play his 14th NFL campaign, Gore averaged only 3.7 yards per carry on 261 rushes while scoring three times last season. While he wasn’t a key part of the Colts’ passing attack, he did manage 29 receptions for 245 yards and one touchdown. If he’s active in 2017, Gore will almost certainly pass Curtis Martin for fourth on the all-time rushing yards list.
Extra Points: Bears, Fuller, Seahawks
No surprise here, but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune hears that the Bears are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Kyle Fuller. Multiple sources tell Biggs that they do not expect the franchise tag to be employed, though he is less certain about whether the transition tag could be in play. It also seems unlikely that Fuller would sign a multi-year contract with the Bears before free agency opens, but there is interest on both sides in moving forward together.
Here’s more from around the NFL on a very busy Monday:
- The Seahawks had open ears at the draft combine last week, sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Among those drawing interest include defensive tackle Michael Bennett and safety Earl Thomas, two players that have been the subject of trade speculation in recent weeks. Over the weekend, it was reported that the Falcons have discussed a Bennett deal with Seattle. Cornerback Richard Sherman, who has a $13.2MM cap charge in 2018, is also a trade candidate.
- The Panthers, Jaguars, and Dolphins are heavily interested in free agent quarterback market, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) hears. The Panthers obviously have a starter in Cam Newton, but they are seeking a quality backup because Newton tends to take a lot of hits. The Jaguars and Dolphins have starters in Blake Bortles and Ryan Tannehill, respectively, but both clubs want veteran backups that can push them. The Dolphins are also exploring the idea of drafting a QB at No. 11 overall.
- Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the subject of tremendous debate in football circles, particularly due to questions about his ability to play QB at the next level. He may have another problem. Jackson did not do well in interviews and white-board work at the combine, Volin hears (Twitter link) and his decision to go without an agent may be the culprit.
- The Bills‘ one-year contract with cornerback Vontae Davis includes an unusual wrinkle, as noted by Volin (on Twitter). Davis is slated to receive a roster bonus of nearly $47K for each game he spends on the 46-man active roster. Meanwhile, he’ll receive a lesser bonus of almost $16K per game that he spends on the 53-man roster. It’s unique for a contract to have separate bonuses for appearing on the 53 and the 46 each week, but it’s a creative structure for Buffalo given Davis’ injury history. One has to wonder if other teams could follow a similar blueprint this offseason when signing veterans with health concerns.
Bills Not Ruling Out E.J. Gaines
- Although the Bills inked veteran defensive back Vontae Davis to a one-year deal earlier this week, they’re not giving up hope of re-signing free agent cornerback E.J. Gaines, general manager Brandon Beane told reporters, including Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter link). Buffalo acquired Gaines in 2017 as part of the return for wideout Sammy Watkins, and the 26-year-old went on to start 11 games, ranking 11th in the league in yards per pass. He’s expected to garner at least $6MM annually on the open market.
Interest Between Patriots, Preston Brown
The Patriots are “believed” to be among the clubs interested in Bills free agent linebacker Preston Brown, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Brown, in turn, seems to be open to an offer from New England.
“I think I can definitely help the young guys they have,” Brown said. “They’ve got some good young talent at linebacker. They run pretty well. I know (David) Harris retired. A lot of young guys were playing well, (Kyle) Van Noy and (Elandon Roberts) played well. They definitely have some things they can work on like we all do, but I think I can help that defense get better.”
As Brown alludes to elsewhere in Howe’s piece, the Patriots have made a habit of poaching Bills players over the past few seasons. In 2016, New England inked restricted free agent wideout Chris Hogan to an offer sheet that Buffalo failed to match, and last year, the Pats signed unrestricted free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore and RFA running back Mike Gillislee.
The Patriots could certainly use help at the second level of their defense, as the unit ranked 31st in run defense DVOA and allowed the second-most adjusted line yards in the league a season ago. New England also struggled covering opposing running backs in the passing game (22nd in DVOA, per Football Outsiders), and none of the club’s primary ‘backers ranked among the top-50 in Pro Football Focus‘ positional grades. Stalwart Dont’a Hightower will return from injury in 2018, but the Patriots could still stand to add another linebacker.
Brown, 25, led the NFL in tackles last year while playing the third-most defensive snaps (1,180) of any linebacker in the league. The former third-round pick has started nearly every possible game (62 of 64) during his four-year career, and has never missed a contest due to injury. Per Howe, the Patriots would likely be interested in Brown at a $5MM annual price point. If his cost jumps into the $8MM per year range, New England would be expected to bow out.
“Anytime you can play for one of the best franchises in NFL history, it’s obviously going to be an option,” Brown said. “They definitely have great players. I met with the coaching staff coming out of college. I have some familiarity with those guys, and they definitely do a great job each and every year of continuing to win.”
Bills Notes: Taylor, Williams
- Bills head coach Sean McDermott says that releasing quarterback Tyrod Taylor is not currently in the team’s plans. “Tyrod is a good player,” McDermott said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). “It’s way too early to take anything off the table, other than cutting him at this point, which is not in our plans.”
- Bills GM Brandon Beane says that he has been in contact with the agent for defensive tackle Kyle Williams (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). At this point, Beane is unsure as to whether Williams is considering retirement. Last year, the Bills reportedly had to convince him to return for a 12th NFL season.