Saquon Barkley Sees Himself As Fit With Giants
It shouldn’t come as a shock that Saquon Barkley has given some thought to being selected by the Giants with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft. And the former Penn State standout sees himself as a quality fit within the Giants’ offense.
Giants’ Josh Mauro Suspended Four Games
The NFL has suspended new Giants defensive lineman Josh Mauro four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy, New York announced today.
Mauro, of course, inked a one-year deal with the Giants just this week. New York was aware of Mauro’s upcoming ban before it signed the former Cardinals end, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Mauro’s pact comes with a $790K base salary, tweets Raanan, so he’ll lose out on roughly $198K as a result of his suspension.
Mauro, 27, spent the better part of four seasons in Arizona, and started 13 games as recently as 2016. Last year, however, Mauro played on just 31.5% of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps, fourth-most among Arizona’s defensive linemen. Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with his effort, grading Mauro as a bottom-10 interior defender among 122 qualifiers.
Giants Monitoring Ross Cockrell
- The Giants are still searching for cornerback help after cutting Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie earlier this month, and they’re assessing the market for internal free agent Ross Cockrell, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Cockrell, whom New York acquired from Pittsburgh last September, started nine games for Big Blue in 2017. He finished first in Football Outsiders’ success rate, which measures cornerbacks on their ability to consistently stop opposing wideouts short of the sticks. Thus far, the Giants have agreed to terms with lower-tier defensive backs such as B.W. Webb, Teddy Williams, and Curtis Riley.
NFL Contract Details: Scandrick, Shelby, Latimer, Wynn
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:
- Orlando Scandrick, CB (Redskins): Two years, $6.85MM. $1MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
- Derrick Shelby, DE (Falcons): One year, $3.25MM. $2MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Cody Latimer, WR (Giants): One year, $2.5MM. $2.47MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
- Marshall Newhouse, T (Bills): One year, $1.5MM. $500K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. $250K available via playing time incentive (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- Kerry Wynn, DE (Giants): One year, $1.25MM. $500K guaranteed (Twitter link via Raanan).
- L.P. Ladouceur, LS (Cowboys): One year, $1.015MM. $630K guaranteed. $90K signing bonus. Minimum salary benefit (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com).
13 Teams Watched Johnny Manziel At USD Pro Day
Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel threw passes at Thursday’s University of San Diego pro day, and 14 NFL clubs were on hand to watch him perform, reports Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Bears, Browns, Chargers, Giants, Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Raiders, Titans, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers and Buccaneers, were all present at today’s workout, per Williams. Of course, those clubs weren’t necessarily in town just to see Manziel, as USD had its own prospects on the field.
Manziel was thought to be interested in working out a deal to play in the Canadian Football League during the 2018 campaign, and was in fact offered a contract by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January. However, Manziel and his team reportedly weren’t pleased with the terms of the pact, and he’s now scheduled to play in the upcoming Spring League. The former first-round pick is reportedly amenable to a minimum salary or a practice squad slot.
Manziel is still only 25 years old, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former Heisman trophy winner completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Giants Cut WR/KR Dwayne Harris
The Giants announced that they have released wide receiver/return specialist Dwayne Harris. Harris was set to begin his fourth season with the G-Men.
Harris broke out in 2016 with a kick ret
urn average of 28.7 yards and one kickoff returned 100 yards for a touchdown. He also returned 34 punts for an average of 10.0 yards per try and caught 36 passes for 396 yards and four TDs. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2016, but he was one of several Giants wide receivers to suffer a season-ending injury in the fall. The new regime apparently felt that Harris was not worth the money given his age and susceptibility to injuring his foot once more.
By releasing Harris, the Giants will save $2.45MM while eating $1.6MM in dead money. He’ll find a market in free agency, but it will be somewhat limited with his 31st birthday coming up in September.
NFL Draft Rumors: Darnold, Giants, Chubb
Wednesday’s rainy weather in Southern California isn’t ideal for local residents, but it may have done a favor for quarterback Sam Darnold at USC’s pro day, as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets. The early word from Darnold’s audition indicates that he looked “very, very good” despite the conditions. That could be a major plus for Darnold as he looks to separate himself from other top quarterbacks like Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, and UCLA’s Josh Rosen. Rosen also threw in inclement weather at UCLA’s pro day earlier this month and threw well, despite heavy gusts of wind.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- The Giants already had a private workout with North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb and he’ll visit the facility in a few weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Giants need a defensive end after trading Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers, opening up the possibility of taking Chubb at No. 2 overall.
- The Texans hosted a private workout yesterday for Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Rapoport tweets. Jackson, is expected to come off the board in the first two rounds, would not be an obvious fit for Houston, but they want to be “prepared for any and all scenarios on draft week,” Rapoport says. However, if Jackson falls, he could be an interesting insurance policy for them in the unlikely event that Deshaun Watson is not ready for the start of the season.
- During the University of San Diego’s pro day, former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel auditioned for the NFL scouts in attendance and reportedly put on a good show.
Giants Trade Jason Pierre-Paul To Bucs
The Giants are trading defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Buccaneers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Giants will receive a 2018 third-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the deal. 
The move comes as a total surprise as we have not heard any rumblings of JPP not being in the Giants’ plans for the coming season. But, there’s a new regime in New York headed by GM Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur and they do not view him in the same light as the last administration. It’s likely that they do not view Pierre-Paul as a fit for defensive coordinator James Bettcher‘s 3-4 heavy scheme.
The Giants inked JPP to a four-year, $62MM deal with $40MM guaranteed roughly one year ago today. He responded by turning in his first complete season since 2014 and tallying 8.5 sacks with 68 total tackles. The advanced metrics indicated that it was only a so-so season for him and Gettleman’s review of the game tape conferred.
Still, Pierre-Paul is undeniably a high-impact player and he’ll now join a revamped and upgraded Bucs defensive line. This year, the Buccaneers signed Vinny Curry to hold down one defensive end spot and added Beau Allen at defensive tackle. Pierre-Paul now joins the group and those three new faces plus Gerald McCoy will give the Bucs one of the most talented defensive lines in the entire NFL. Tampa Bay also has former second-round pick Noah Spence and former Bears DE Mitch Unrein in support.
The Buccaneers tried to trade for Rams edge rusher Robert Quinn, but ultimately lost out to another Florida team. Less than three weeks later, they managed to land a different superstar defensive end.
The deal figures to have major implications for the Giants’ offseason plans. The G-Men now have additional cap room to work with in the second wave of free agency and their draft plans could radically shift. It’s possible that the Giants will consider Bradley Chubb at No. 2 overall rather than selecting Eli Manning‘s successor. They could also trade down if they believe they can land a pass rusher plus a quality QB later on.
The Giants will now own the fifth pick in the third round (No. 69 overall) in addition to that round’s second pick (No. 65). In the fourth round, the Bucs move up to No. 102 overall while parting with the No. 108 selection.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Contract Details: Jordy, Glennon, Incognito
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts and restructures around the NFL:
New Contracts
- Jordy Nelson, WR (Raiders): Two years, $14.2MM. $13MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- Mike Glennon, QB (Cardinals): Two-year, $8MM deal contains void years in 2020 and 2021. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com).
- Spencer Long, C (Jets): Four years, $27.5MM. $6MM guaranteed (link via Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap).
- Jaron Brown, WR (Seahawks): Two years, $5.5MM. $2.75MM guaranteed. $1.95MM signing bonus. $750K available annually via receptions, yards, and touchdowns incentives (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
- Christian Jones, LB (Lions): Two years, $6.35MM. $2.8MM guaranteed. $1.75MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).
- Kyle Wilber, LB (Raiders): Two years, $2.75MM. $1.4MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM).
- Billy Turner, OL (Broncos): One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
Restructures
- Richie Incognito, G (Bills): 2018 base salary reduced from $6.325MM to $3.65MM. Earned $1MM bonus. Bills created $1.675MM in cap space (Twitter link via Yates).
- John Jerry, G (Giants): 2019 contract season eliminated. 2018 base salary reduced from $3.05MM to $1.075MM, $525K of which is guaranteed. $400K roster bonus added and paid on 3/21. Per-game roster bonuses increased from $250K to $500K (all Twitter links via Dan Duggan of NJ.com). Giants created $525K in cap space.
Seahawks To Sign OL D.J. Fluker
The Seahawks have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Giants offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter links).
Fluker, a former first-round pick, appeared in nine games with six starts for the Giants in 2017. He was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 56 ranked player at the position, placing him as a low-end starter/high-end backup. He earned much better grades during his first two seasons in the league as a tackle with the Chargers.
Last year, the Seahawks’ offensive line surrendered 209 pressures, per Pro Football Focus, as their zone blocking scheme netted them very little on outside zone runs. Seattle hopes that Fluker will help bolster a unit that has been a weak spot for multiple seasons.