Allen Robinson Decided Between Bears, Packers
Allen Robinson narrowed his potential destinations to the Bears and Packers before ultimately deciding on Chicago, as the star wideout tells Mike Kaye of First Coast News. While a number of clubs — including the Redskins, Browns, Ravens, Panthers, and incumbent Jaguars — were linked to Robinson before free agency officially opened, Green Bay was never mentioned as a suitor. The revelation is interesting on a few different levels, but chief among them is that the Packers clearly feel a need to upgrade their receiving corps. So far this offseason, Green Bay cut ties with franchise icon Jordy Nelson, but hasn’t made any additions to its wideout depth chart. Robinson, 24, eventually landed a three-year, $42MM deal from the Bears.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/27/18
We don’t dance now, we make minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: LB Ben Heeney
- Waived: WR Deante Gray
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OL Adam Gettis
Brice Butler To Meet With Four Teams
Brice Butler‘s market is starting to heat up. In the next two weeks, the Cowboys free agent wide receiver Brice Butler will visit with the Seahawks, Bears, Jaguars, and Cardinals (Twitter link via Jane Slater of NFL.com). 
The 28-year-old has been vocal about wanting the opportunity to do more in 2018. Last year, Butler finished out with just 15 catches for 317 yards and three touchdowns. After the season, he opined that he could have outperformed teammate Dez Bryant if he had the same number of targets.
“100 percent,” said Butler. “Because I’m ready. It’s my time, I’ve been there for three years. I feel like me and Dak [Prescott] have a really good relationship. We work on routes. There’s times that we might not have completed a square-out throw in practice, and we’re taking that time out in practice to actually work on it. So I think that’s why when you saw us in the game, he tried to come to me, and most of the times we produced.“
Bryant underwhelmed for Dallas last year, but still had 69 receptions for 838 yards and six TDs. For now, Bryant remains part of the Cowboys’ plan with Butler likely moving on following the addition of Allen Hurns.
“With Dallas, the situation has to be right for me to go back,” Butler said earlier this year. “I have to be a starter. If I’m not starting, I’m not going back,” Butler said.
Wherever Butler lands, he’ll be in for a pay raise. Butler earned just $1.1MM on a one year deal in 2017.
Saints Meet With WR Cameron Meredith
The Saints met with Bears restricted free agent wideout Cameron Meredith on Saturday, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago tendered Meredith at the original round level, meaning the Saints — or any other club that signs Meredith to an offer sheet — wouldn’t be required to give the Bears draft pick compensation if Chicago opts not to match an offer sheet. New Orleans is now the third club to take a visit with Meredith, joining the Colts and Ravens.
Meredith is coming off a torn ACL, so his free agent visits are likely involving medical checks. But if his knee is clean, Meredith could be a bargain addition for an interested team. In 2016, the now-25-year-old Meredith posted 66 receptions for 888 yards and four touchdowns. Given that he tore his ACL last September, Meredith should conceivably be ready for the start of the 2018 campaign, or at least soon thereafter.
The Saints, for their part, don’t have much depth behind starters Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr. New Orleans tendered Willie Snead at the original round level (and has witnessed him take a visit with the Ravens), while the team non-tendered Brandon Coleman. Meredith could theoretically replace Snead as the Saints’ slot receiver, and provide depth alongside Tommylee Lewis, Austin Carr, and Paul Turner.
Contract Details: 3/25/18
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts:
- Evan Smith, OL (Buccaneers): Two years,$6MM. $1MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Sam Acho, OLB (Bears): Two years, $5.5MM. $2.95MM guaranteed (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune).
- John Timu, ILB (Bears): One year, $75oK. $45K guaranteed (via Biggs).
- Bradley Sowell, OL (Bears): Two years, $3MM. $850K guaranteed (via Biggs).
Bears Re-Sign CB Marcus Cooper To 1-Year Deal
The Bears are bringing back free-agent cornerback Marcus Cooper with a one-year, $2.5MM deal, according to Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Cooper had a visit on Friday with the Cardinals, who agreed to a one-year deal with cornerback Bene Benwikere, but they were still reported to have interest.
Cooper appeared in 15 games last season for the Bears, making four starts. His most extensive playing time came with the Cardinals in 2016 when he played in 15 games (13 starts) and collected four interceptions. The metrics were not kind to him that season, though, as he ranked No. 62 among 84 qualifiers in Football Outsiders‘ success rate.
Chicago signed Cooper to a three-year, $16MM deal following his 2016 campaign with the Cardinals but released him last week. He played on just a quarter of the Bears’ defensive snaps last season, ranking fourth out of the team’s cornerbacks.
The Bears have made their secondary a priority this offseason, placing their transition tag on Kyle Fuller and re-signing Prince Amukamara. Cooper is set to work with the likes of Bryce Callahan and recently-signed Sherrick McManis as backups to Fuller and Amukamara.
The 49ers drafted Cooper in the seventh round of the 2013 draft out of Rutgers. He never suited up for the 49ers, though, and spent three seasons with the Chiefs before landing with the Cardinals in 2016.
Bears Re-Sign DB/ST Sherrick McManis
The Bears have reached a two-year deal with cornerback/special-teamer Sherrick McManis, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
While McManis is technically listed as a defensive back, he almost never plays on the defensive side of the ball. Instead, the 30-year-old spends most of his time on special teams, an area where the Bears ranked 23rd in DVOA a season ago.
In 2017, McManis saw only 31 defensive snaps, but played on nearly 80% of Chicago’s special teams plays. In total, McManis managed only one tackle in 13 games, but Eric Eager of Pro Football Focus called him one of the league’s best special-teamers at midseason, noting his ability to play both gunner and vice.
13 Teams Watched Johnny Manziel At USD Pro Day
Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel threw passes at Thursday’s University of San Diego pro day, and 14 NFL clubs were on hand to watch him perform, reports Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Bears, Browns, Chargers, Giants, Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Raiders, Titans, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers and Buccaneers, were all present at today’s workout, per Williams. Of course, those clubs weren’t necessarily in town just to see Manziel, as USD had its own prospects on the field.
Manziel was thought to be interested in working out a deal to play in the Canadian Football League during the 2018 campaign, and was in fact offered a contract by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January. However, Manziel and his team reportedly weren’t pleased with the terms of the pact, and he’s now scheduled to play in the upcoming Spring League. The former first-round pick is reportedly amenable to a minimum salary or a practice squad slot.
Manziel is still only 25 years old, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former Heisman trophy winner completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Chiefs Meet With WR Kendall Wright
Wide receiver Kendall Wright will visit with the Chiefs on Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. Wright spent last season with the Bears. 
Wright could help the Chiefs replace slot receiver Albert Wilson, who departed in free agency to sign a three-year, $24MM deal with the Dolphins. Wilson is three years Wright’s junior and may have more potential, but Wright is coming off of a stronger season, at least, in terms of stats. Wright caught 59 passes for 614 yards and one touchdown, giving him his strongest stat line since 2014.
We ranked Wright as the 15th best available wide receiver heading into free agency, but his market has been slow to develop. Now that the bigger names are off of the board, Wright may find a home.
The Chiefs lost Wilson, but they upgraded their WR group by signing Sammy Watkins to a hefty multi-year deal. They’ll also return with Tyreek Hill, who racked up nearly 1,200 receiving yards in 2017 en route to a second Pro Bowl appearance.
Vikings To Sign OL Tom Compton
The Vikings are set to sign offensive lineman Tom Compton, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. The deal is contingent on him passing a physical. 
Compton, 29 in May, is a native of Rosemount, a suburb of Minneapolis. After 71 career games, he finally gets an opportunity to play for his hometown team.
Compton mostly worked as a reserve during his first five NFL seasons, starting in just 11 of 44 appearances with the Redskins and Falcons. Last year, he wound up starting in five of eleven contests for the Bears. Although he has previous experience at tackle, he played mostly on the inside in 2017.
The veteran will likely take on a reserve role with the Vikings, though he may get a chance to compete for a starting job on the interior. The Vikings are still waiting to find out if Joe Berger will return.