Seahawks, Rams Interested In Terrelle Pryor
The Browns have company in their pursuit to bring Terrelle Pryor back to Ohio. Both the Rams and Seahawks are also now interested in the free agent wide receiver’s services, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.
Seattle lost Paul Richardson to Washington, which signed Pryor last offseason, and Los Angeles saw Sammy Watkins sign with Kansas City on a whopping contract. Pryor did not perform as well as either last year but was the Browns’ top receiver in 2016.
The Browns remain in the mix, Cabot reports, but are now battling some more competitive pursuers. Pryor caught just 20 passes for 240 yards last season, proving to be an ill-fitting piece in Jay Gruden’s offense. He finished the season on IR.
Cleveland, though, tried to reacquire the Ohio State product midway through his disappointing season but could not. The Browns have been the team most linked to Pryor this offseason.
Rams Traded Ogletree To Afford Talib
- Rams general manager Les Snead said on Wednesday the team traded linebacker Alec Ogletree to accommodate the ensuing move for cornerback Aqib Talib, Alden Gonzalez tweets. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips prefers cornerbacks to linebackers in his scheme, and a big move had to be made to bring in the former Broncos corner, who will count $11 MM toward the cap.
- Snead also said he sees ways the Rams can address run defense and the pass rush in free agency, Gonzalez tweets. Though he is weighing what will be available to fill those holes with rookies, he doesn’t want to just wait until the draft to fill obvious needs. The team received some insurance for its pass rush on Wednesday when it re-signed veteran linebacker Connor Barwin.
- Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said cornerback Marcus Peters‘ trade to the Rams had nothing to do with national anthem protests, Pro Football Talk passes along. “This was a football decision. … This wasn’t just one game, wasn’t a month, this was three years of body of work, and we look for consistency. We felt that this was in the best interest of the team,” Veach said.
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Rams Talking With John Sullivan, Connor Barwin
Rams general manager Les Snead said the team is hoping to bring back center John Sullivan and linebacker Connor Barwin, and have begun talking with their representatives, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez tweets.
Sullivan, 32, played 15 games in his first season with the team and helped pave the way for Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley to amass a league-leading 2,093 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran the 10th-best center in the NFL in 2017 with a 74.6 grade.
Barwin, 31, played in 14 games and started 13 while registering 34 tackles and five sacks. The former Eagles and Texans linebacker endured a down year and was rated as the No. 103 edge defender by Pro Football Focus. With the team’s trade of Robert Quinn to the Dolphins earlier in the offseason, Los Angeles would like to have Barwin back as a reliable veteran coming off the end.
Rams Still Trying To Trade WR Tavon Austin
Despite reports that the Rams were going to release Tavon Austin, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter) that the organization is still looking to trade the wideout.
A deal is unlikely to happen, and La Canfora notes that plenty of teams are waiting for the receiver to be cut. However, considering some of the money that’s been thrown around to free agent receivers this offseason, an interested team might see incentive in trading for Austin, instead.
Austin signed a four-year, $42MM deal in the summer of 2016, and the wideout was set to earn a $3MM salary and $5MM roster bonus this upcoming season. If he is indeed cut, Austin will hit the Rams with a $5MM dead-money charge, but the team will also save $3MM against the cap.
While the Rams offense improved in 2017, Austin wasn’t nearly as productive. The wideout hauled in only 13 receptions for 47 yards last season, but the versatile weapon did rush for 270 yards and a score.
Extra Points: Jets, McKinnon, Cardinals, Mathieu, Eagles, Foles, Acho, Bears
The latest from around the NFL:
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Running back Jerick McKinnon nearly joined Teddy Bridgewater with the Jets, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Ultimately, the 49ers came back with a big offer. The Jets pivoted at that point and instead signed running back Isaiah Crowell.
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The Cardinals were willing to go to about $9MM/year with Tyrann Mathieu before he was cut, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Other teams believe that he is now looking to top that figure. He may or may not get that kind of coin given his past injuries and a down 2017.
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The Cardinals called the Eagles about acquiring Nick Foles this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, this took place right around the time of the Sam Bradford signing. With Bradford in the fold at a hefty salary, it’s unlikely that the Cards will go back to that well. Meanwhile, the Eagles seem intent on keeping the Super Bowl MVP.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):
- Cowboys DE David Irving (story)
- Giants: C Brett Jones (story via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Jets: Quincy Enunwa (story)
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Browns: DT Jamie Meder
- Chiefs: DE Rakeem Nunez-Roches (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- Jets: OL Brent Qvale, TE Neal Sterling
- Lions: WR T.J. Jones (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Rams: OLB Matt Longacre (via Rapoport)
- Seahawks: DE Dion Jordan (story)
- Texans: C Greg Mancz
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: DE Ryan Russell (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Chargers: LB Josh Keyes
- Chiefs: LB Ramik Wilson (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Dolphins: OL Anthony Steen
- Falcons: RB Terron Ward (via D. Orlando Ledbetter)
- Jaguars: S Peyton Thompson, RB Tyler Gaffney
- Jets: DL Xavier Cooper
- Lions: RB Zach Zenner, DE Brandon Copeland, DL Zac Kerin
- Packers: LB Joe Thomas (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Panthers: WR Kaelin Clay, CB Ladarius Gunter, TE Scott Simonson, OL David Yankey (via David Newton of ESPN.com)
- Rams: LB Cameron Lynch, T Darrell Williams
- Saints: WR Brandon Coleman, DT David Parry
- Seahawks: RB Thomas Rawls, RB Mike Davis (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Steelers: WR Eli Rogers (story via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
- Texans: LB Brian Peters, DE Angelo Blackson, LB Ben Heeney
- Titans: S Curtis Riley (via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com), RB Bishop Sankey (via Chris Tomasson)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Browns: QB Kevin Hogan
- Colts: TE Erik Swoope, G Jeremy Vujnovich, CB Christopher Milton, LS Luke Rhodes
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel, LB Mike Hull, CB Jordan Lucas
- Giants: DT Robert Thomas (via Vacchiano)
- Jets: S Doug Middleton FB Lawrence Thomas TE Eric Tomlinson
- Lions: QB Jake Rudock, DT Christian Ringo
- Packers: WR Geronimo Allison (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Rams: K Sam Ficken (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: LB/DE James Cowser, S Erik Harris, G/T Denver Kirkland
- Ravens: LB Patrick Onwuasor, WR Quincy Adeboyejo, OL Matt Skura, OL Maurquice Shakir
- Seahawks: RB J.D. McKissic, DE Quinton Jefferson, DE Branden Jackson (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: DB Keith Baxter (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Giants: TE Ryan O’Malley, LB Curtis Grant (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com)
- Lions: DT Rodney Coe, P Kasey Redfern (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Packers: CB Herb Waters, LS Taybor Pepper (via Silverstein)
- Saints: C Jack Allen
Rams To Fill Sammy Watkins Void Internally?
The Rams are leaning towards addressing the Sammy Watkins void internally, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com tweets. Without last year’s No. 1 wide receiver, the Rams are eyeing bigger roles for Josh Reynolds and Mike Thomas. However, they’ll continue to monitor the market. 
Often times, the second wave of free agency leads to veteran bargains for teams. The Rams are comfortable with what they have, but they’ll be keeping a watchful eye on players who encounter underwhelming markets. Some of the top names still on the market include Jordy Nelson, Terrelle Pryor, Eric Decker and Mike Wallace.
Along with losing Watkins in free agency, the Rams also parted ways with Tavon Austin. They’ll have Cooper Kupp and Pharoh Cooper as well to return with incumbent starter Robert Woods. Kupp led all of the team’s wide receivers last year with 62 catches for 869 yards receiving. Watkins led the team’s receivers with eight touchdown catches.
Reynolds and Thomas played in limited roles last season, combining to catch 16 passes. Reynolds was the only of the two to haul in a touchdown pass. Reynolds was a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft and Thomas was a sixth-round selection by the Rams in 2016. Kupp led the team in targets last year (94) and Woods was targeted 85 times compared to 70 for Watkins, despite playing in three fewer games.
It’s clear the Rams placed a higher priority on addressing their secondary this offseason while trusting in a group of in-house young wide receivers to work with Jared Goff, along with running back Todd Gurley. They’ve already traded for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and placed their franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner rather than Watkins.
Raiders To Sign TE Derek Carrier
It’s only natural for siblings to steal toys from one another. Perhaps that explains Jon Gruden‘s early approach to free agency. Tight end Derek Carrier and the Raiders have agreed to a three-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Carrier spent two seasons with the Redskins, under the tutelage of Jon’s brother Jay Gruden. Last year, he was shipped to the Rams in a September trade.
The 27-year-old was mostly irrelevant on offense, hauling in only eight receptions for 71 yards. In 190 snaps, the former undrafted free agent out of Beloit proved to adequate in blocking, especially in pass situations. Carrier didn’t play enough to earn a spot in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but his rating suggests he would have been listed 30th among 71 eligible tight ends.
Carrier will join a new-crowded tight end crop in Oakland. The team is currently rostering three others at the position, including Jared Cook, Clive Walford, and Pharaoh Brown. Cook is coming off of wrist surgery, however, and Lee Smith is a pending free agent.
Rams To Re-Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
The Rams have agreed to re-sign cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll receive a three-year deal worth upwards of $15.75MM with $8MM guaranteed.
The Rams have completely revamped and reloaded their secondary this offseason. Los Angeles acquired Marcus Peters in a huge trade with the Chiefs and quickly followed that up by acquiring Aqib Talib from the Broncos. Now, Robey-Coleman has been retained as the Rams’ slot cornerback. The team is also rostering free agent addition Sam Shields, Kayvon Webster, and Kevin Peterson, among others.
After having spent four seasons with the Bills, the 2013 undrafted free agent out of USC joined the Rams last offseason.The 26-year-old went on to have a productive season, compiling a career-high 49 tackles to go along with nine passes defended and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus rated Robey-Coleman highly, ranking him 19th among 120 eligible cornerbacks.
Coleman ranked as our ninth-best cornerback heading into free agency, putting him ahead of Prince Amukamara, Brent Grimes, Rashaan Melvin, Ross Cockrell, Tramon Williams, and Johnathan Joseph.
Rams Were In On Sammy Watkins
Early Tuesday morning, Sammy Watkins agreed to a three-year, $48MM deal with the Chiefs. Before that, Watkins had a booming market for his services. The Cowboys, Bears, Jaguars, and the incumbent Rams were among the teams in on the highly-coveted wide receiver, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). 
The Rams were hoping to retain Watkins but that move became difficult to facilitate with the additions of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, as well as placing the franchise tag on Lamarcus Joyner. It was reported that the Rams were deciding between Watkins and Joyner on who to give their franchise tag to.