Raiders Interested In Brown, Bowman
Jon Gruden loves his veterans, and the Raiders have their eye on a pair of experienced linebackers. Oakland has expressed interest in re-signing NaVorro Bowman and they have also shown interest in free agent linebacker Zach Brown, according to Michael Gehlken of the Review Journal (on Twitter). 
Gruden may have some familiarity with Browns since he played under his brother, Jay Gruden, in 2017. With the Redskins, Brown amassed 127 total tackles and 2.5 sacks, making him an excellent value on his one-year deal. This time around, Brown says he wants to be paid as a top-three inside linebacker. It’s unlikely that he’ll reach that lofty goal.
Bowman, meanwhile, has said that he wants to remain with the Raiders. New Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is a supporter of his, so it’s possible that he’ll stay put. We have Bowman and Brown ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, amongst this year’s top free agent linebackers.
Raiders, Bills Interested In Tom Johnson
The Bills and Raiders have expressed interest in Vikings free agent defensive tackle Tom Johnson, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). Johnson, 33, is seeking a two-year deal “for the highest salary he can get since it might be his last big contract,” Tomasson adds.
Last year, Johnson appeared in all 16 games and managed 23 pressures two sacks from the interior. He reportedly asked for a one-year, $4MM extension last season, but the Vikings refused, which could give an idea where Minnesota stands on Johnson’s value.
Heading into free agency, Johnson ranked PFR’s No. 9 free agent defensive tackle.
Broncos Eyeing CB T.J. Carrie
The Broncos have interest in cornerback T.J. Carrie, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). Carrie entered free agency as one of PFR’s ten best cornerbacks available and one of the 50 best free agents overall.
Carrie has said that he doesn’t want to leave the Raiders, but it’s not clear whether new head coach Jon Gruden has him in their plans. Carrie did meet with the Raiders’ new staff, however. Ultimately, his market value could drive him away from Oakland and into the arms of a divisional rival.
The Broncos are in search of a No. 3 cornerback after agreeing to trade Aqib Talib to the Rams. Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby formed probably the league’s best corner trio over the past four years, and Harris and Roby remain. But despite drafting Brendan Langley in last year’s third round, the franchise was said to be searching the veteran market for a cheaper option than Talib.
Carrie qualifies, but after a strong contract year where he proved to be a clear slot upgrade on D.J. Hayden, it’s unclear how cheap he will come. Both Harris and Roby are going to earn north of $8MM in 2018, so any Carrie deal would place the Broncos toward the top of the league in cornerback spending.
A perennial Pro Bowler, Harris has functioned as probably the game’s best slot cornerback over the past several years. But he recently expressed a desire to play more on the outside. His flexibility as a boundary corner in base sets and slot cover man in Denver’s nickel would allow the team to target a slot player or outside defender in free agency.
Raiders Cut OT Marshall Newhouse
Marshall Newhouse‘s tenure with the Raiders has come to an end. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that Oakland has cut the veteran offensive tackle.
The 29-year-old spent his lone season with the Raiders in 2017. After joining the team on a two-year, $3.5MM deal, Newhouse proceeded to play in 14 games (14 starts) for the Raiders. The lineman was set to make $1.55MM in 2018, and he could have earned another $200K via a workout bonus (via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Twitter). Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets that the move will save the organization $2.25MM.
Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of the veteran’s production in 2017, ranking him 65th among 81 eligible offensive tackle candidates. For what it’s worth, the 2010 fifth-round pick battled several injuries throughout the season, which could have negatively impacted his play.
With the release of Newhouse, the Raiders could realistically be seeking some reinforcement at offensive tackle. Other than starter Donald Penn, the team is rostering David Sharpe, Vadal Alexander, Jon Feliciano, and Jylan Ware.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
New York Giants
- Re-signed: OG Jon Halapio, LB Mark Herzlich
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed to two-year deals: LB Nick Dzubnar, WR Geremy Davis
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Griff Whalen
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/12/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Falcons: G Ben Garland (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- Jaguars: RB Corey Grant (via John Oehser of Jaguars.com, on Twitter)
- Redskins: T Ty Nsekhe (via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
- Titans: G Quinton Spain (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky)
- Vikings: G/C Nick Easton (per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bears: CB Bryce Callahan, WR Cameron Meredith, WR Josh Bellamy (via Rich Campbell and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, all Twitter links)
Non-Tendered:
- Broncos: WR Bennie Fowler (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, on Twitter)
- Packers: P Jake Schum (per Rob Demovsky of ESPN)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- 49ers: RB Raheem Mostert (per Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler, on Twitter)
- Broncos: LS Casey Kreiter, WR Jordan Taylor, LB Zaire Anderson, T Elijah Wilkinson, LB Jerrol Garcia-Williams, LB Joseph Jones (Jhabvala reports, Twitter links)
- Giants: G Jon Halapio (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, on Twitter)
- Jaguars: TE Ben Koyack, OL William Poehls (Twitter links, via Oehser)
- Packers: WR Michael Clark, OL Justin McCray, CB Donatello Brown (all Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com and Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Raiders: K Giorgio Tavecchio, LB Shilique Calhoun (Twitter links via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com)
- Rams: RB Malcolm Brown, CB Troy Hill (per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
Non-Tendered:
- Bears: LS Patrick Scales (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter)
- Cardinals: TE Ifeanyi Momah (Twitter link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic)
Raiders Release CB Sean Smith
The Raiders have released cornerback Sean Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This move was anticipated, particularly in light of Smith’s ongoing legal situation.
It gets worse for Smith. The 30-year-old is expected to plead guilty to a felony count of assault with great bodily injury and be sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation, according to Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) stemming from an incident on July 4, 2017, in Pasadena Calif.
Smith would have counted for $8.25MM against Oakland’s cap, making this move something of a no-brainer even prior to the announcement that he’d plead guilty to the felony assault charges.
The veteran graded out as just the No. 73 cornerback among 121 qualifiers last year, per Pro Football Focus. He’s picked off two passes in each of the last three seasons but had a career-low four pass defenses last year while appearing in 14 games, starting eight.
Smith was a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2009 and signed a four-year, $40MM deal with the Raiders prior to 2016 after spending three seasons with the Chiefs. The Raiders cut cornerback David Amerson a year after signing him to a four-year, $35MM deal. Fellow cornerback T.J. Carrie, who started 15 games for the Raiders last year and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s No. 22 cornerback, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Carrie, who grew up in the Bay Area, has expressed interest in returning to Oakland. The team also has Gareon Conley, Dexter McDonald, Antonio Hamilton, Shaquille Richardson, Darius Hillary and Tevin Mitchel on the roster at cornerback. The Raiders also hold the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming draft, with cornerback certainly among their top targets.
Raiders Interested In Muhammad Wilkerson
Muhammad Wilkerson‘s free agency tour has logged three Central Time Zone stops, and the eighth-year defender will next be making a trip back east when he meets with the Redskins.
But the veteran defensive end has not been shy about being eager to see what the market looks like, and a trip to a third time zone could be next. The Raiders are also interested in Wilkerson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
The parties have yet to schedule a visit, but Wilkerson is set to embark on his fourth trip — to Washington D.C. after he wraps up a Kansas City meeting — and reports have indicated he’s open to more. The legal tampering period opening on Monday could complicate matters, with a slew of UFAs now available to speak with teams, but Wilkerson is one of the best interior defenders on the market.
The Raiders will use a 4-3 scheme under Paul Guenther, but the Saints do as well. Wilkerson sounds amenable to playing in a 4-3 set for the first time, if the money is right.
Oakland re-signed Justin Ellis on Friday but could be losing Denico Autry in free agency and has Mario Edwards entering a contract year. And the second-round investment the franchise made in Jihad Ward two years ago has not yet panned out.
Tom Cable Prefers Marshawn Lynch Be Kept
- Tom Cable would prefer the Raiders retain Marshawn Lynch for a second season, Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area reports. Oakland’s new offensive line coach, of course, worked with the running back during his peak years. Nothing has been decided on Lynch yet. The soon-to-be 32-year-old back is due a $4MM base salary in 2018 if he remains on the Raiders’ roster. He’s due a $1MM roster bonus on March 18.
49ers To Meet With Richard Sherman
Could Richard Sherman be joining another NFC West team? It sounds like he’s at least considering the idea, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the veteran cornerback is set to meet with 49ers officials today.
San Francisco wants to confirm that Sherman is recovering from his Achilles injuries, and if everything goes well, the two sides will “try to get a contract done.” In another tweet, Schefter says there’s a good chance that this is Sherman’s only visit. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport says (via Twitter) Sherman’s apparent interest in the 49ers makes sense. The cornerback has “a strong affinity for the West Coast,” and he’s already familiar with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh‘s scheme.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports (via Twitter) that Sherman has received “preliminary interest” from a list of additional teams: the Lions, Titans, Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers, and Packers.
Sherman’s seven-year tenure with the Seahawks came to an end yesterday, as the team released the defensive back with a failed physical designation. The veteran is still rehabbing from surgery to fix a torn Achilles and remove a bone spur, but he expects to be ready by June. The three-time First-Team All-Pro was relatively productive in nine games last season, compiling 35 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.