Bengals Claim Dontay Moch Off Waivers
FRIDAY, 3:44pm: The Bengals have claimed Moch off waivers from the Cardinals, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
THURSDAY, 4:21pm: The Cardinals have released Dontay Moch, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter). The defensive lineman saw time in just five games across his three seasons in Arizona.
Moch, 26 in July, was a third round pick of the Bengals in the 2011 draft. While he impressed scouts during his time at the University of Nevada, he hasn’t made a major impact at the professional level in his young NFL career. Moch ran an eye-popping 4.44 sec 40-yard dash at the 2011 NFL Combine, ranking best among all front seven players at the event.
FA Rumors: Vikings, 49ers, DRC, Cowboys
Vikings GM Rick Spielman spoke to reporters on a conference call today, and indicated that his team is “not by any means finished” in free agency, and will continue to be aggressive in exploring potential upgrades (Twitter links via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). According to Spielman, the Vikings still have interest in free agents Charlie Johnson and Kevin Williams, and have spoken to Williams’ agent recently (Twitter links via Tomasson).
Here are plenty more afternoon free agent rumors from around the NFL:
- After meeting with the Chiefs today, Emmanuel Sanders‘ next visit will be with the 49ers, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The free agent wide receiver, who has also visited the Jaguars and Buccaneers this week, will be staying in Kansas City overnight, so the Chiefs still have a chance to lock him up before he reaches San Francisco, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com gets the sense that Julian Edelman‘s visit with the 49ers is more a feeling out process for both sides than an indication anything is imminent (Twitter link).
- Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is heading to New York tonight to meet with the Jets, reports Schefter (via Twitter).
- The Seahawks have expressed interest in bringing back wide receiver Sidney Rice, who was released by the club earlier in the offseason, writes Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times.
- In addition to having some interest in Julius Peppers, as we heard earlier, the Cowboys are keeping an eye on Jared Allen and would be interested if his price falls, writes Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Free agent tight ends Jermichael Finley and Ed Dickson don’t appear to be in the Giants‘ plans for now, says Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter).
- Free agent guard Daryn Colledge met with the Rams today, and is now off to meet with the Raiders, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Bengals have confirmed that two offensive linemen, Vlad Ducasse and Uche Nwaneri, both visited the team today, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Bengals Sign Marvin Lewis Through 2015
Free agent players aren’t the only ones signing new deals this week. According to the team, the Bengals have signed head coach Marvin Lewis to a one-year contract extension, locking him up through the 2015 season (Twitter link).
Lewis, who has been coaching the Bengals since 2003, is the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, behind Bill Belichick in New England. In his 11 seasons with the team, Lewis has led Cincinnati to a 90-85-1 regular-season record. The club has earned a playoff spot five times during that stretch, but has yet to win a postseason game under Lewis.
Lewis would have been heading into a contract year in 2014, so the one-year extension gives him a little more job security.
FA Rumors: Rice, Sanders, Thurmond, Melton
The latest free agent rumors..
- The 49ers will host Julian Edelman on Friday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter). The club is also interested in Hakeem Nicks.
- Jermichael Finley left his meeting with the Seahawks without a contract, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).
- The Seahawks are now interested in re-signing Sidney Rice, who was a salary cap casualty earlier in the offseason, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
- The Jets still have interest in Emmanuel Sanders, but they had to reschedule his visit due to conflicts, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. He’ll pay the Chiefs a visit tomorrow, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Ravens have yet to get involved, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- Cornerback Walter Thurmond told his fans via Twitter that he had a great meeting with the Jaguars and noted that the club is “headed in the right direction.” Thurmond’s next stop is San Francisco.
- Henry Melton plans to spend the rest of the evening in Minnesota with the Vikings, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.
- Ryan Clark tweeted to Richard Sherman to let him know his visit with the Redskins went well. Now he says that “the money guys have to work.”
- The Panthers aren’t showing interest in Hakeem Nicks yet, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It should be noted that this report came out before Carolina officially said goodbye to Steve Smith. Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reported this evening that the Panthers indeed have interest.
- Jets free agent guard Vlad Ducasse will visit the Bengals before coming to the Vikings, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals are still negotiating with Ben Dogra, the agent for Antonio Cromartie, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. This one isn’t as easy as some other deals, Somers adds.
- The Steelers are bringing Chargers free agent nose tackle Cam Thomas for a visit on Friday, tweets Alan Robinson, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. If he’s put in the middle, San Diego can move Steve McLendon over to defensive end.
Colts Sign Phil Costa
4:36pm: Costa’s two-year deal is worth $2.7MM, with a max value of $3.5MM if he reaches playing time incentives, tweets Chappell.
4:25pm: The Colts have signed center Phil Costa, according to Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star, who reports (via Twitter) that it’s a two-year deal. Before agreeing to terms with the Colts, Costa visited the Lions, and reportedly had meetings scheduled with the Bengals and Patriots.
Costa, 26, was the Cowboys’ full-time starter at center in 2011, but missed most of 2012 with an ankle injury and transitioned into a backup role in 2013. He has a decent amount of upside, and appears to be the favorite to take over as the Colts’ starting center in 2014.
Costa’s signing means the team is likely out of the running for Alex Mack, though Chappell (Twitter link) cautions not to rule out the possibility, given Costa’s lack of playing time over the last couple seasons. A report earlier today had suggested there might be some mutual interest between Indianapolis and Mack.
Bengals Release James Harrison
The Bengals announced that they have released outside linebacker James Harrison, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network. Although the veteran linebacker will turn 36 this spring, he wants to continue his playing career in 2014, and agent Bill Parise expects interest from NFL teams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Harrison had been on the books for a cap hit of about $2.034MM in 2014, which the Bengals can reduce to $600K in the move, creating about $1.434MM of cap savings. ’14 was the final year of Harrison’s contract.
After spending most of his career with the Steelers, Harrison joined the division-rival Bengals last year and helped the team take the AFC North crown. While he only played 409 defensive snaps and recorded just a pair of sacks, the longtime Steeler was one of the league’s best 4-3 outside linebackers against the run, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Harrison will continue training in Arizona as he ponders his next move, Parise tells Schefter.
Harrison To Move On From Bengals
12:48pm: Harrison and the Bengals have talked, but he has not been released yet, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com
12:32pm: There’s no official word yet, but it appears that James Harrison is set to move on from the Bengals.
“Many thanks to all the @Bengals fans for your support over the last year – I had a great time in Cincinnati,” Harrison tweeted.
Harrison joined the Bengals last year after being released by the Steelers and played a much smaller role than he did in Pittsburgh. Statistically, it was his lightest season in a long time. The veteran totaled just two sacks and 19 tackles across 15 games.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old was due $1.1MM with an additional $250K through per-game roster bonuses.
FA Rumors: DRC, Ginn, Whitehurst, Burleson
As one of the few notable cornerbacks remaining on the market, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is still searching for a deal. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Jets are one team that has been in touch with DRC’s camp about the free agent, as New York remains in the market for cornerback help. Here are a few more Thursday free agent updates:
- After missing out on receiver and return specialist Jacoby Jones, the Giants are eyeing Ted Ginn Jr., a player capable of filling a similar role, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean thinks there’s a reasonable chance the Titans and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst will work something out (Twitter link). Wyatt reported earlier today that Whitehurst was visiting with the club.
- The Titans are also exhibiting interest in wide receiver Nate Burleson, who was released by the Lions before the start of the free agent period, tweets Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
- The Steelers are “really interested” in defensive end Alex Carrington, and will host him for a visit tonight, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Pittsburgh has already lost Ziggy Hood in free agency and may part ways with Brett Keisel as well.
- Linebacker Darryl Tapp is among the players visiting the Lions today, reports Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
- Free agent center Phil Costa is visiting the Colts today and Bengals tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Bucs, Panthers, Bengals In Mix For Collins
Free agent offensive tackle Anthony Collins is choosing between the Buccaneers, Panthers, and returning to the Bengals, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. According to Auman, all three teams’ offers for Collins include comparable money.
Collins, 28, has been linked to the Buccaneers since before the free agent period officially began, and was viewed by some observers as a near-lock to sign with Tampa Bay. However, the Bengals remain in the hunt to keep their own player, and the Panthers, in search of a replacement for the retiring Jordan Gross, are a surprise contender for Collins’ services.
Having spent his first six NFL seasons in Cincinnati, Collins has never had an extended run as a full-time player, starting no more than seven games in any season for the Bengals. However, he was excellent in his 673 offensive snaps last season, never recording a negative grade in a game, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). If he can maintain that type of performance in full-time action, he could be one of the steals in this year’s tackle market.
Extra Points: Hawkins, Graham, Martin, Byrd
Aaron Wilson of National Football Post has the goods on Andrew Hawkins‘ $13.1MM offer sheet with the Browns. The deal would give the wide receiver a $3MM signing bonus and a 2014 base salary of $1.8MM guaranteed for skill and injury. In 2015, he has a $2.3MM base that is guaranteed for injury only. He has non-guaranteed bases of $2.5MM in ’16 and $2.6MM in ’17. More from around the NFL..
- One team other than the Ravens to keep an eye on for cornerback Corey Graham is the Dolphins, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. There’s an opening now that Nolan Carroll is unsigned and Dimitri Patterson has been cut.
- The Dolphins will carry about $959K in dead money after the Jonathan Martin trade, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- If DeMarcus Ware is still on the market after the initial wave of interest, the Packers could get involved, but that’s unlikely, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN. It sounds like the Broncos are the frontrunner for his services.
- The Bills‘ best offer to Jairus Byrd was a yearly average of about $7.5MM, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
- The Colts had conversations with the Dolphins about Martin and the Vikings also showed interest, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
- Tracy Porter is visiting the Giants tonight, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter).