East Notes: Bills, Landry, Eagles, Biggers
So far this offseason, one noteworthy free agent – wide receiver Percy Harvin – has moved from the Jets to the Bills, following Rex Ryan to Buffalo. Now, Ryan and the Bills are considering bringing in another player who played in New York a year ago. According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), former Jets safety Dawan Landry is paying a visit to Buffalo.
The Jets don’t appear to have any interest in retaining Landry, but Pro Football Focus (subscription required) was fond of his 2014 performance, grading him as a top-10 safety in the NFL. We’ll have to see if the Bills have a spot for him in a secondary that has lost Jairus Byrd and Da’Norris Searcy in the last two offseasons.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:
- As the Eagles eye potential defensive backs, they’ll bring in former Washington cornerback E.J. Biggers for a visit today, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Biggers, who spent three seasons in Tampa Bay prior to his time in D.C., also has some experience at safety, a position of need for Philadelphia.
- James Walker of ESPN.com wonders if Josh Freeman has a chance to unseat Matt Moore as the Dolphins‘ No. 2 quarterback. As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweeted this morning, Freeman’s deal with Miami is a minimum salary pact with no guaranteed money, so it’s not as if the team has much invested in him.
- Richie Incognito is grateful to the Bills for giving him a second chance in the NFL, and told reporters on Monday that there were times when he didn’t think he’d have the opportunity to continue his playing career (Associated Press link via USA Today).
- Referring to the atmosphere at the Bills‘ facility, LeSean McCoy said there’s “more of a NFL type of feel,” as opposed to the “college feel” he’d experienced in Philadelphia during the last couple seasons, writes Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. The veteran running back also made some comments about Eagles head coach Chip Kelly yesterday.
Greg Jennings To Visit Dolphins
The Dolphins continue to eye free agent wideouts, and will bring another one in for a visit today, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. According to Salguero, former Viking Greg Jennings is paying a visit to the team.
The Dolphins are in the market for some veteran help at wideout after parting ways with Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Brandon Gibson via trade or release so far this offseason. The receiving corps is currently led by youngsters Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills, who have plenty of talent, but only three combined years of NFL experience between them.
Miami previously brought in veteran free agent Michael Crabtree for a visit, and there were conflicting reports on whether or not the team made him a contract offer in the neighborhood of $3MM. Either way, it doesn’t appear the ex-Niner will be joining the Dolphins, so perhaps Jennings will be a better fit.
If he reaches an agreement with Miami, Jennings would be replacing the player who replaced him in Minnesota — Jennings was released by the Vikings after they acquired Wallace from the Dolphins. The 31-year-old, who has been linked to the Panthers and Jaguars since becoming a free agent, caught just 59 balls for 742 yards during his final season in Minnesota, prompting the team to cut him just two years into a massive five-year contract.
East Notes: Crabtree, Dolphins, Draft, Pats
Refuting an earlier report, Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post writes that a Dolphins team source has “emphatically” denied that the club ever offered free agent receiver Michael Crabtree a contract that neared $3MM in value. In fact, the source tells Abramson, financial specifics never even came up during Crabtree’s visit to South Beach. Given the disparity between the two reports, it seems there’s a bit of confusion about Crabtree’s meeting with Dolphins brass — but either way, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be joining Miami.
More notes from the East divisions:
- The Dolphins hosted Hobart offensive lineman Ali Marpet for a visit last week, reports Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. Marpet, who is a projected mid-round pick, has also met with the Browns as part of the predraft process.
- Another Division II prospect, Henderson State receiver Darius Davis, has a visit scheduled with the Cowboys, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who notes that Davis will meet with Dallas later this week. Per Wilson, Davis already met with the Raiders last week.
- In response to a reader’s question, Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes that he doesn’t believe either Pierre Garcon or Kirk Cousins is likely to be traded by Washington. Garcon, especially, could be hard to deal given his large base salaries, but any trade would likely occur after the draft after other teams assess their remaining needs, adds Tandler.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com rounds up a few Patriots notes, examining the contributions of rookies on last year’s roster and wondering if New England might draft a receiver later this month.
Dolphins Notes: Crabtree, Ridley, Gore, Skrine
Free agent receiver Michael Crabtree turned down approximately $3MM from the Dolphins, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who adds that Crabtree is seeking at least $4.5MM. We had heard that Miami was interested in the former 49er, and it appears as though they had serious enough interest to offer a contract. The 27-year-old Crabtree is reportedly in no rush to sign, but he will head to Oakland this week to meet with the Raiders.
Let’s check out some more Dolphins notes, all courtesy of Jackson…
- Running back Stevan Ridley‘s visit with the Dolphins was simply “exploratory,” writes Jackson, but Miami has not ruled out signing the free agent. Ridley is coming off a torn ACL, so the club was presumably checking out his medicals.
- Oklahoma defensive tackle prospect Jordan Phillips met with the Dolphins last week, reports Jackson, who points out that Miami probably isn’t in need on interior defensive line help given the presence of Ndamukong Suh and Earl Mitchell, among others. Phillips ranks as the fifth-best available defensive tackle according to the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock.
- Miami showed “some interest” in running back Frank Gore, but not as much as some other clubs, Gore told Jackson. The 31-year-old Gore added that he would have liked to team with current Fin running back Lamar Miller, who like Gore is a University of Miami product.
- One of the Dolphins’ top targets on defense was cornerback Buster Skrine, but the defensive back ultimately chose the Jets over Miami.
Extra Points: Crabtree, Ridley, Bears
The Dolphins were willing to pay Michael Crabtree close to $3MM to suit up in aqua this season, but the longtime 49ers receiver sought “at least” $4.5MM per year, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
After seeking more than $9MM per campaign, Crabtree’s visiting the Raiders in hopes of salvaging some kind of value from what’s been an anti-climactic offseason from the inconsistent wideout. Crabtree earned at least $4.5MM in salary and bonuses the past five seasons.
Some additional news from Miami and the rest of the NFL on Saturday night …
- Although the Dolphins’ summit with Stevan Ridley was merely exploratory, the team hasn’t ruled out signing the ex-Patriots running back, reports Jackson. Ridley, who is recovering from knee surgery and is one of many starting-caliber backs still in free agency, is reported to be down to the Jets and Fins for his next destination.
- The Dolphins also showed “some interest” in bringing Colts signee Frank Gore back to Miami, but the longtime 49ers bruiser told Jackson multiple teams beat out the Dolphins’ pursuit level.
- Jackson lists Buster Skrine, a Jets acquisition on a relatively big contract, as a player who the Dolphins coveted but one who declined their offer.
- Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips visited Miami last week, adds Jackson. The Dolphins are intrigued by the Sooner talent’s potential despite landing Ndamukong Suh and housing several young players who are currently in their good graces.
- With starter-level safeties Antrel Rolle and Ryan Mundy among the three back-line defenders on the Bears‘ roster, the team plans to address the position after the early rounds of the draft, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Jahns mentioned Cody Prewitt (Ole Miss), Nick Perry (Alabama) and Northwestern’s Ibraheim Campbell as players the Bears have studied as possible fits.
- Interior defensive line help also intrigues the Bears, reports Jahns, as they lost Stephen Paea to Washington. As they transition to the 3-4, the Bears are chock full of size outside, with Ray McDonald recently added as a five-technique end and Pernell McPhee arriving as a 280-pound linebacker. Interestingly, Jahns includes 300-pound Lamarr Houston, signed to a lucrative deal last year as a 4-3 run-stopping end, as an outside backer, which would be a unique experiment.
- The Ravens will host Kansas free safety Cassius Sendish on a visit April 21, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. A Waldorf, Md., native and potential late-round draft pick, Sendish will visit his hometown team’s facilities during the team’s day designated for local prospect meetings.
East Notes: Washington, Hardy, Cowboys
Washington GM Scot McCloughan followed through with his plan when he landed safety Dashon Goldson on Friday, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. Goldson is not a big risk with his $4MM salary and, more importantly, McCloughan knows the type of player Washington received. Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC East..
- If the NFL suspends Greg Hardy for more than two games, you can expect an automatic appeal on his behalf from the NFLPA, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Hardy has offered a one-game suspension with the thinking that a two-game suspension would be a fair compromise. As for the photos that will come forward, there is one damning photo which shows a bruise on his victim’s face. The rest, according to Cole, do not show evidence of damage inflicted by the Cowboys star.
- There has been talk of the Cowboys drafting a quarterback, but Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News thinks they already have their developmental arm in Dustin Vaughn. After grabbing Vaughn last year, Sturm isn’t expecting Dallas to address the quarterback position in this year’s draft.
- Former Patriots running back Stevan Ridley has visits lined up next week but the feeling is that he’ll land with either the Jets or Dolphins, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
AFC Notes: Ridley, Jets, Bills, Dolphins
Stevan Ridley‘s Thursday visit with the Jets went long, leaving him to stay in the New York area overnight, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. There’s no word of a deal yet, but Ridley clearly has interest in joining Gang Green. Here’s more from the AFC..
- In today’s mailbag, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes that he doesn’t see the Bills trading for Evan Mathis. While the Eagles are looking to trade the veteran guard, his age and salary would probably be prohibitive for them. On top of that, the Eagles are clearly eager to move him, and that means he could be a free agent before long. The Bills could have interest in Mathis as a free agent, but it’s still not clear how aggressive they’d be in that situation.
- The Dolphins worked out former Buccaneers linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Glaud took part in the NFL’s veteran combine.
- The Raiders should consider an extension for left tackle Donald Penn, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com opines. Penn signed a two-year, $9.6MM deal with Oakland last year and is entering the final year of his deal. Penn showed no signs of wearing down in 2014 and put together a nice bounce-back year for himself.
- Chargers GM Tom Telesco‘s recent moves in free agency made sense, but he didn’t add an impact player to the defensive front, Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego writes. Signing Pernell McPhee, for instance, would’ve generated potential upgrades throughout the defense. Ultimately, the Bears took the gamble on the former backup and Krasovic wishes that it was the Bolts who rolled the dice on him.
Draft Notes: Packers, Pats, Dolphins
Here’s the latest draft news..
- Maryland nose tackle Darius Kilgo told Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter) that he has visited the Packers, Patriots, and Dolphins. He’ll also visit the Bengals and attend the Panthers‘ local prospect day.
- Maryland wide receiver Deon Long told Wilson (Twitter links) he’ll attend the Ravens‘ local prospect day on April 21st. He added that he has drawn interest from the Bears and Panthers. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wrote about the intriguing prospect earlier today and noted that he has drawn the interest of the Patriots.
- The Patriots met with Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
- Rutgers fullback Michael Burton worked out for the Buccaneers this morning at RU, according to Dan Duggan of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Next up is a visit with the Browns on Friday.
Dolphins To Sign Josh Freeman
Josh Freeman has signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides were nearing agreement.
Unless the Dolphins go back to carrying three quarterbacks on the roster, Freeman will probably just serve as another arm to have in camp, according to Abramson. The Kansas State product has always been praised for his arm strength but he did not play a down of NFL football in 2014. Still, he isn’t all that far removed from his 2012 season in which he threw for more than 4,000 yards with the Buccaneers.
Freeman worked out for the rival Jets earlier this month, but he’ll instead make an attempt to break camp with Miami. The quarterback celebrated his 27th birthday in January so there’s plenty of reason to believe that he can get his career back on track in 2015.
Dolphins Sign Spencer Paysinger
After hosting him for a visit today, the Dolphins have signed linebacker Spencer Paysinger, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that it’s a one-year contract.
Paysinger, who has spent his first four NFL seasons with the Giants, was a regular contributor on defense in 2013, starting 10 games at linebacker and recording 74 tackles and a sack for the year. However, he returned to a backup and special teams role last season, during his final season in New York.
That reserve and special teams role will likely be the one Paysinger assumes in Miami. The team saw Jason Trusnik sign with the Panthers this week, and Jonathan Freeny signed with the Patriots last month. Both players were regular contributors on kick and punt coverage for the Dolphins, and occasionally saw playing time on defense as well — the duo combined for just over 400 defensive snaps in 2014.
Paysinger previously visited the Jets.