Extra Points: Broncos, Cousins, Coleman
Despite the Broncos being interested in Kirk Cousins throughout the offseason, they moved on Case Keenum and reached an agreement before the Cousins domino fell. The Broncos, who do not have as much cap space as their top Cousins competitors do, spoke with the quarterback’s representation on Monday but did not submit an official offer, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The team’s Keenum agreement being at least $18MM represented a significant discount from Cousins’ near-$30MM-AAV deal — one expected to be with the Vikings. Despite Cousins having proven more than Keenum, Broncos brass moved quickly on this agreement and was on the same page about the belated breakout passer. Palmer reports that went a long way toward completing this deal. Gary Kubiak is currently serving as a top Broncos front office bastion. Kubiak initially brought Keenum into the NFL as a UDFA while serving as Texans HC.
Here’s more from Denver and elsewhere around the league on Day 2 of pre-free agency.
- Now that the Broncos lost one of the UFAs they were trying to keep, when Corey Nelson agreed to terms with the Eagles, Denver is trying to retain a higher-profile linebacker. The Broncos are expected to try and ramp up their efforts to retain Todd Davis before he hits free agency on Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter). This would continue a change of pace for the John Elway-era Broncos. Previous offseasons saw off-ball ‘backers Wesley Woodyard, Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan depart. But in 2016, Elway authorized an $8MM-per-year deal for Brandon Marshall. Davis almost certainly won’t cost that much, profiling as more of a two-down thumper than sideline-to-sideline rover who can reliably operate in coverage, but he won’t come cheap since he’s been a two-year starter on one of the league’s top defenses.
- Kurt Coleman took two visits before agreeing to join the Saints, meeting with the Giants and Bengals, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets. Coleman has bounced around the league, with his most recent stop being his most notable since the Panthers deployed him as a three-year starter — including in Super Bowl 50 — and signed him to an extension in 2016. Despite having played for three teams and having started 74 games, Coleman won’t turn 30 until July. The Giants are in need of a safety to complement Landon Collins. The Bengals, though, don’t have as obvious a need on their back line.
Bengals To Decline Adam Jones’ Option
The Bengals have informed cornerback Adam Jones that they won’t be picking up his option, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (on Twitter). However, they would like him back at a cheaper rate to compete as a nickel corner and kick returner. 
This was the expected move, as the Bengals are saving $6MM by declining the veteran’s option. Jones was an effective punt returner last year, averaging 21.8 yards per attempt. He started in all nine of his games at cornerback in an injury-shorted season, but played only 299 snaps. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus rated his season as his worst ever, by a wide margin. He fared better in the previous two seasons, when he ranked as PFF’s No. 37 CB in 2016 and their No. 15 CB in 2015.
Jones will turn 35 in September, but he has said that he wants to continue playing football.
Charges Against Bengals’ Tyler Boyd Dropped
Drug charges against Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd have been dismissed, as ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell writes. Boyd was facing charges of possessing a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia after a car crash in July, but he’ll no longer have to worry about legal consequences stemming from the incident. 
Boyd’s wrecked car was found by police after 3 a.m. on a July day with several bottles of alcohol and multiple vape pens that tested positive for THC. However, Boyd said that a friend of his was driving the car and that person later admitted to being behind the wheel.
Had he been convicted in this case, Boyd would have been likely to face league discipline given that he was charged with a DUI in college. Although the league cannot punish players retroactively for pre-NFL incidents, his history would have been a factor. The league can still fine or suspend players for cases that do not result in convictions, but that seems less likely given the circumstances in this instance.
Boyd, 24 in November, missed games due to injury in 2017 and was not targeted all that much when he was on the field. He became more involved in the offense late in the season, however, with ten catches for 130 yards and one touchdown in his final two games.
Bengals Want To Re-Sign DE Chris Smith
Although the Bengals hope to re-sign him, free agent defensive end Chris Smith is expected to garner “a lot” of interest on the open market, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
Cincinnati picked up Smith from the Jaguars last April in exchange for a seventh-round pick, and the now-26-year-old flashed during the preseason by generating two sacks. Once the regular season hit, though, Smith only played on roughly a third of the Bengals’ defensive snaps, racking up three sacks and grading as the league’s No. 81 edge defender among 106 qualifiers during that time, per Pro Football Focus.
While the Bengals would apparently be open to a new deal with Smith, they also have a glut of defensive ends on their roster. Veterans Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson will return as starters, while 2017 rookies Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson — the latter of whom was outstanding as an edge rusher during his rookie campaign — will be in reserve.
If Smith does reach free agency, he’ll join a lackluster group of edge defenders that includes Julius Peppers, William Hayes, Trent Murphy, and Pernell McPhee. PFR didn’t rank Smith among the top-15 pass rushers on the open market, but he would fall into the 16-20 range if our list were extended.
Bengals To Sign DT Chris Baker
The Bengals have signed former Bucs defensive tackle Chris Baker to a one-year deal worth a little more than $3MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Baker was released in February, so he did not have to wait until March 14 to sign with a club. 
Baker, 31 in October, disappointed in Tampa Bay after signing a three-year, $15.75MM deal free agent deal. With two years to go, the Bucs dropped him in order to save $4.875MM against the cap.
Because Baker is not a typical free agent, he will not count against the Bengals’ compensatory draft pick formula. He could also be a solid fill-in for Pat Sims, who is headed towards free agency.
Heading into Wednesday, PFR had Baker ranked as the No. 11 interior defensive lineman available in free agency.
Bengals Meet With DL Chris Baker
The Bengals hosted free agent defensive lineman Chris Baker for a visit this week, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The visit was first reported by Chick Hernandez of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). 
Baker, 31 in October, inked a three-year, $15.75MM deal with the Buccaneers last offseason. Last month, they terminated the deal in order to save $4.875MM against the cap.
Baker did not perform up to the Bucs’ expectations as he had just half a sack in 2017 and grading as just the No. 96 defensive tackle among 122 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. The Bengals are wondering if Baker can get back to his 2016 play, a year in which he ranked 18th on PFF’s list of interior defenders. Looking at the positives, Baker had 10.5 sacks between 2015 and 2016 and even though he struggled last year, he started 16 games for the first time in his career.
Baker currently ranks as our No. 11 ranked interior defender, ahead of Kyle Williams, Dominique Easley, Haloti Ngata, and Alan Branch.
Latest On Tyler Eifert
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert has missed 41 of 80 potential regular season games due to concussions, stingers, an elbow injury, a torn labrum, ankle surgery, disc repairs, and a knee issue. As he approaches free agency, he tells Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer that “everything is fixed.” Teams, of course, will be taking a thorough medical look at Eifert before extending him any offers. The 27-year-old Eifert is arguably the most talented free agent tight end available, but his injury history will put a ceiling on his market. PFR’s Zach Links recently ranked Eifert as the third-best available tight end, behind Trey Burton and Jimmy Graham.
Saints Sign DB Kurt Coleman
The Saints added some reinforcement at safety overnight. Following a meeting earlier this week, the team has signed former Panthers defensive back Kurt Coleman, reports Nick Underhill of The Advocate (via Twitter). Underhill notes (via Twitter) that it’s a three-year deal for Coleman, while NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds that the deal is worth $18MM, with $6.5MM due in the first year of the contract.
Coleman, a 2010 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State, bounced around the league during his first few years in the NFL. He ultimately landed with the Panthers in 2015, and he proceeded to start 30 games for the organization between 2015 and 2016. During that two-year stretch, Coleman finished each campaign with at least 90 tackles, seven passes defended, and four interceptions. However, the 29-year-old took a bit of a step back in 2017, compiling 76 tackles, three passes defended, and zero interceptions. These numbers ultimately earned him a bottom-10 safety ranking according to Pro Football Focus.
Despite the struggles, Coleman should still get an opportunity to play next season in New Orleans. The Saints aren’t expected to re-sign defensive back Kenny Vaccaro, meaning Coleman could play plenty in the team’s three-safety sets. He’ll ultimately compete with Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams for playing time, but there should be more than enough snaps for the trio.
The Saints weren’t the only team to express interest in the veteran safety. According to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell (via Twitter), the Bengals also offered Coleman a three-year deal.
Bengals Meet With Kurt Coleman
The Bengals took a meeting with free agent safety Kurt Coleman at the combine earlier tonight, reports Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. Cincinnati becomes the known club to have visited with Coleman, joining New Orleans on the list of teams with interest in the veteran defensive back.
Coleman could join the Bengals as a third safety (the club has used player such as Chris Crocker or Josh Shaw in that role in recent seasons), but it’s not out of the question Cincinnati could install Coleman as a starter and cut one its incumbent safeties. George Iloka and Shawn Williams each offered league-average production in the Bengals’ defensive backfield in 2017, and the team could create cap space — $4.4MM for Iloka, $2.872MM for Willams — by cutting either.
More likely though, Coleman would offer depth for Cincinnati, as his performance last season wasn’t indicative of a starting caliber performer. Coleman was productive for the Panthers in 2015-16, so much through that Carolina gave him an extension that was to lock him up 2019. But Coleman struggled in 2017, and the Panthers opted to open up $2.65MM in cap room by parting ways with the 29-year-old.
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.