AFC Notes: Titans, Ravens, Draft Visits
Titans edge defender Kamerion Wimbley agreed earlier this week to restructure his contract, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has the breakdown of what Wimbley’s new deal looks like. However, as Fitzgerald details, Wimbley wasn’t the only Titan to rework his contract this week. Tight end Craig Stevens also has a new 2014 cap figure, reducing his overall base salary by $1.7MM in exchange for a $500K guarantee. While Stevens’ 2015 salary remains unchanged, his ’14 cap number is now only about $2.69MM.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Ravens haven’t had an above-average, long-term solution at right tackle for a number of years, and Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun believes the team would be wise to address the position with its first-round pick this year. That’s one of a handful of topics Preston addresses in his Ravens notebook, which also touches on the club’s recent tight end and running back signings.
- The Bills are eyeing a pair of offensive line prospects today, hosting Mississippi State’s Charles Siddoway for a pre-draft visit (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com) and having dinner tonight with Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 AM).
- Having already met with the Steelers, Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard now has visits lined up with the Jets, Bengals, and Rams, as he said today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- Another cornerback, Virginia Tech’s Kyle Fuller, also has a handful of visits scheduled with AFC teams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Fuller will meet with the Colts, Bengals, Raiders, Jets, Broncos, and Bears, says Wilson.
- The Chargers will work out Troy quarterback Deon Anthony on April 22, reports Wilson at the National Football Post.
- More from Wilson (via Twitter): The Patriots are working out Boise State’s Geraldo Boldewijn, Matt Paradis, and Charles Leno on Wednesday, while Virginia-Lynchburg cornerback Keith Lewis visited the Raiders and has a private workout lined up next week with the Chiefs (Twitter link).
Draft Notes: Manziel, Matthews, Mettenberger
As the NFL Draft quickly approaches, Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review takes a look at five players the Steelers could draft in the first round. The list includes receivers Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard and Justin Gilbert and defensive lineman Louis Nix. Robinson also brings up Pittsburgh defensive lineman Aaron Donald, but believes that the defender is not a good fit for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has the 15th pick in the first-round of this year’s draft.
Here are some more prospect notes…
- Johnny Manziel will begin meeting with the Jaguars tomorrow, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Manziel spent that last two days with the Raiders.
- Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews will visit with the Bills tomorrow, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR Sports Radio.
- While the team will meet with the quarterback, the Titans have no intention of working out Zach Mettenberger, according to Jim Wyatt of Tennessean (via Twitter).
- University of Tennessee offensive lineman Ja’Wuan James is scheduled to visit the Titans this week, tweets Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com.
- Running back De’Anthony Thomas will visit with the Bears, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- Scouts for the Bills and Saints were at Terrance West‘s pro day, Wilson tweets. The Bengals also met with the Towson running back (via Twitter). West ran for 2295 yards last season.
- Center Bryan Stork will visit the Saints this week, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com (via Twitter). The Florida State alumni won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center.
- Former Boise State defensive tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe met with the Chargers, reports Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter). According to Gehlken, the Amsterdam-native is relatively new to the sport.
- Eagles coach Bob Bicknell worked out Rutgers receivers Quron Pratt and Brandon Coleman, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
- The Dolphins hosted offensive tackle Garrett Scott, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. The team has already added linemen Shelley Smith, Branden Albert and Jason Fox during free agency.
Draft Notes: Rams, Dolphins, Falcons, QBs
Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews is a possibility for the Rams with the no. 2 overall selection, and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch makes the case. Aside from the prospect’s outstanding blocking, competitiveness and durability, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher coached Bruce Matthews, Jake’s father.
In other draft-related fodder…
- If Rams GM Les Snead opts to trade out of the No. 2 spot, he believes there’s multiple players teams would trade up for and they’re not just quarterbacks. “I actually think there’s more than one player that people would want to move up for,” Snead told Greg A. Bedard of mmqb.si.com. “I just don’t know what they’d want to give to move up,” Snead said. “At the top maybe there’s four or five players who were one step or one notch ahead of the very good, and sometimes a team might say we need to get that guy. You don’t know the value of what people would be willing to give. The fact that there could be multiple teams eyeing one of those guys could drive up the price a little bit.”
- This year’s crop of quarterback prospects is polarizing, says ESPN’s Mel Kiper in a conversation with ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss: “There are about a dozen quarterbacks that could be starters, and out of those dozen, there are some that argue that all 12 will never be a successful starter. This is a crazy year for quarterbacks. A lot of them. A lot of quantity. How much quality is debatable.”
- LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger is scheduled to fly to Jacksonville to meet with the Jaguars, tweets NFL Network’s Albert Breer, who says the Raiders, Vikings, Titans and Lions will meet with Mettenberger in Baton Rouge (via Twitter). Coming off a November ACL tear, Mettenberger will throw at LSU’s pro day on Wednesday.
- The Dolphins, in their quest to find a legitimate right tackle solution, have been linked to Notre Dame’s Zack Martin, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the team also likes a Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield from Michigan, citing a team official. Meanwhile, a story published by Dan Parr at NFL.com quotes anonymous league evaluators who question Lewan’s toughness and physicality.
- Speaking of offensive linemen, the Falcons are also in need, and Dawson Devitt of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides a primer detailing several OL prospects who could be available at different stages of the draft.
- The Eagles will work out Canadian offensive tackle prospect Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
- Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard has pre-draft visits scheduled with the Bengals, Jets and Rams. He has already met with the Steelers, writes Jeff Howe in the Boston Herald.
- Louisville safety Calvin Pryor is visiting the Steelers today, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter).
- Towson running back, Terrance West, who shredded I-AA competition with 2,500 yards and 41 touchdowns as a junior, has his pro day today. Nearly half the league has shown interest, including the Ravens, Browns, Titans and Cardinals mentioned in a draft diary piece in the Baltimore Sun.
AFC Pre-Draft Visits: Bills, Patriots, Titans
The Bills are hosting a few pre-draft visits today, writes Chris Brown of BufalloBills.com. North Carolina’s star tight end Eric Ebron could be in play for the team in the first round. The Bills are also meeting with defensive end Scott Crichton of Oregon State and LSU’s bruising running back Jeremy Hill. Brown writes that Crichton is projected as a second-round pick and Hill as a mid-round selection.
Here are some other players visiting with AFC teams:
- The Patriots are bringing in Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig for their local pro day, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. The team already hosted the top quarterback talents, who they are unlikely to draft, but Retig would more likely be a late-round pick. Retig will be able to workout with the team, because he is part of a local visit.
- Another late-round quarterback, Brock Jensen of North Dakota State, has visits scheduled with both the Browns and the Bengals, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).
- The Steelers will be hosting visits from Minnesota safety Brock Vereen, and South Carolina wide receiver Bruce Ellington, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Wilson also reports that Titans hosted Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett. Jernigan is expected to be a first-round pick.
- Wide receiver Eric Thomas of Troy University has a visit with the Colts, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Bengals Sign Danieal Manning
FRIDAY, 2:41pm: Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) provides the breakdown of Manning’s one-year deal, which has a base value of $1.6MM and can be worth another $500K in playing-time incentives. The deal also features a $100K signing bonus, says Wilson.
THURSDAY, 1:07pm: The Bengals have officially signed Manning, according to the team (via Twitter).
11:32am: The Bengals are finalizing a one-year contract with free agent safety Danieal Manning, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Manning hit the open market earlier this week when the Texans cut him after he decided not to accept a pay cut.
Once he became an unrestricted free agent, Manning indicated that his decision would be heavily influenced by which teams he felt were headed in the right direction and gave him an opportunity to win. Had he not reached an agreement with the Bengals, Manning was scheduled to make a visit to the Chiefs, another AFC playoff team. There had been speculation that the 31-year-old would also consider the Cowboys, the team he grew up rooting for, but it doesn’t seem as if Dallas was seriously in the mix.
Manning saw his 2013 season cut short when he fractured his fibula in October, forcing him out of action for the year’s final 10 games. Prior to ’13, he had started 45 regular season games in the previous three seasons for the Texans and Bears. He recorded a positive overall grade during that stretch, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), though PFF’s advanced metrics suggested his play was declining from season to season — he posted a +11.8 grade in 2010, followed by +3.1 in 2011, and -4.2 in 2012.
Still, Manning’s traditional numbers were strong even in his most recent full season (2012), when he logged 77 tackles, recovered three fumbles, and grabbed a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown. In Cincinnati, he’ll join a group of safeties that includes George Iloka and Reggie Nelson, who both had solid seasons in 2013 and under contract for two more years.
Extra Points: Manning, Draft, Bush, Carr
Some assorted notes to close out the evening:
- The Bengals will meet with safety Danieal Manning on Tuesday and Wednesday, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. Manning was released by the Texans earlier today.
- NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock has updated his position rankings for draft prospects, and the most notable change is his moving Johnny Manziel up to the No. 1 quarterback slot, followed by Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater. One wonders if this might be an overreaction to a good Pro Day (Manziel) versus a poor one (Bridgewater).
- Running back Michael Bush will visit with the Patriots, who recently lost LeGarrette Blount to the Steelers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- On a related note, Tom Curran of CSNNE.com wonders if the Patriots let Blount get away too easily, citing both his low cost and the fact that Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen are in the last year of their respective contracts.
- Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr says his private workout with the Browns “went exactly how [he] wanted it to,” writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. Grossi also tweets that Carr dined with the Browns general manager Ray Farmer and the Cleveland offensive staff on Sunday night. Carr could be an option for the Browns at pick No. 26.
- Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby told Sirius XM NFL that he has visits set up with the Chargers, Steelers, Titans, Bills, and Jets, as well as three additional teams (Twitter link).
AFC North Links: Steelers, Dalton, Hoyer
LeGarrette Blount joined the Steelers this past weekend, but that may not prevent the team from selecting a running back in the draft. Scott Brown of ESPN.com takes a look at some draft options at the position, and opines that it’d be tough for Pittsburgh to pass on 2000-yard rusher Andre Williams. Still, Brown adds that he can’t see the team taking a back before the fifth round, and suggests the team looks at speedy runners like Kent State’s Dri Archer.
Let’s take a look at some more Steelers and AFC North notes…
- The Steelers run of success at snagging talented receivers later in the draft may continue this year, Brown mentions in the same article. The depth of the position in the draft means Pittsburgh could wait until after the first round to select a wideout.
- Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton confirmed on SiriusXM NFL Radio that contract negotiations with the team are underway (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). Dalton is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
- Brian Hoyer‘s recovery from knee surgery is very significant to the Browns, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. The team has already released two quarterbacks and haven’t signed any via free agency. If the team drafts a quarterback, McManamon believes that Hoyer will still be the favorite to start.
North Notes: Carr, Ravens, Bears, Flynn
On a busy Friday for NFL signings (Maurice Jones-Drew, LeGarrette Blount) and cuts (DeSean Jackson), let’s check out some of the latest headlines from around the league’s two North divisions….
- Derek Carr‘s private workout with the Browns is scheduled for Monday, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
- In a round-up of Ravens notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says he gets the sense from talking to people around the team that Corey Graham was the toughest free agent departure this month. Zrebiec also writes that that if Baltimore doesn’t draft a quarterback, the club could wait until after the draft to see if a team that does take a QB jettisons one of its veterans.
- As Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune details, Bears head coach Marc Trestman has a number of traits he’s looking for in a No. 2 quarterback.
- It appears likely that the Packers will ultimately end up re-signing Matt Flynn to compete with Scott Tolzien for the team’s backup job, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- As Nick Fairley heads into the 2014 season without the security of the Lions picking up his fifth-year option for 2015, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com says the team shouldn’t reward Fairley with a lucrative contract next year even if he has a strong ’14.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has the details on a pair of new contracts: Vlad Ducasse inked a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with the Vikings that includes a $65K signing bonus, while Domata Peko‘s two-year extension with the Bengals includes a $4.4MM roster bonus for 2014 and is worth $9MM in total.
Bengals Sign Domata Peko To Extension
THURSDAY, 1:04pm: The Bengals have officially signed Peko to an extension, the team announced today (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 1:16pm: The Bengals have agreed to extend the contract of defensive tackle Domata Peko, whose deal was initially set to expire after the 2014 season, reports Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (via Twitter). According to Hobson, the new deal will tack two years onto Peko’s existing contract, locking him up through 2016.
Peko, a former fourth-round pick, has been with the Bengals since the team drafted him in 2006, racking up 108 starts and 123 total games for the franchise. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) haven’t been particularly kind to him, assigning him a negative grade every year since 2007, and placing him 66th among 69 qualified defensive tackles in 2013. However, the 29-year-old has been a defensive leader and a key cog in the middle for the Bengals, recording 54 tackles and three sacks last season.
Peko had been slated to earn $4.325MM in 2014, so the extension might lower that cap number a little, creating some additional 2014 flexibility for Cincinnati.
AFC Notes: Jets, Broncos, Blount, MJD, Titans
In addition to the Seahawks and Cowboys, the Jets may also have been in on Jared Allen before he agreed to sign with the Bears, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. According to Schefter, head coach Rex Ryan spoke to the veteran defensive end last week, and the Jets wanted to get involved in the bidding, though it’s not clear how serious the interest was from Allen’s end. As New York continues to search for upgrades in free agency, let’s check in on a few more AFC teams….
- Unsurprisingly, the Broncos are expected to exercise their fifth-year option for 2015 on defensive standout Von Miller, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The option, available for 2011 first-round picks, would pay Miller a little less than $10MM in ’15.
- The running back market is coming into focus, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). According to La Canfora, LeGarrette Blount, who is still receiving interest from the Patriots, will visit with the Steelers later this week. Pittsburgh is still considering Maurice Jones-Drew as well, though not at his original $3.5MM-per-year asking price.
- Free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, who has met with the Redskins and Rams since the start of free agency, is scheduled to visit the Titans tonight and tomorrow, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
- The Raiders have added several players over age 30 in free agency, but GM Reggie McKenzie doesn’t view those players as stop-gap solutions. McKenzie told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that he wanted to bring in immediate contributors to show the team’s young players the Raiders are serious about winning.
- Colts GM Ryan Grigson said today that his team preferred its in-house options at center to the free agents available at the position, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star details. That’s not to say that no free agent center would have been an upgrade, but given the potential cost, Grigson didn’t feel a move would be worth it.
- Offensive line and wide receiver will be areas of focus for the Jaguars in the draft, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- R.J. Stanford‘s new one-year deal with the Bengals includes a $730K base salary, a $50K signing bonus, and a $25K workout bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.