Colts, WR Ryan Grant Nearing Deal
[UPDATE: The Colts have agreed to sign Grant]
The Colts are nearing a deal with free agent wide receiver Ryan Grant, according to Mike Chappell of CBS4 (on Twitter). The news was first reported by former NFL wide receiver James Jones (Twitter link), who appears to have a pipeline on signings as of late. 
Grant agreed to a four-year deal with the Ravens on the first day of free agency, but that contract was voided due to a failed physical. The Ravens immediately signed fellow free agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree, so one has to wonder if Grant’s physical really raised red flags or if the Ravens simply jumped at an opportunity to add a more accomplished pass-catcher. For what it’s worth, Grant’s agent says there isn’t much of an issue.
“If there were a game tomorrow, Ryan would be able to play,” the agent said earlier this month.
Grant, a former fifth-round pick, broke out with 45 receptions for 573 yards and four touchdowns with Washington in 2017. The Raiders also met with Grant, but it appears that he is Indy-bound.
Ndamukong Suh To Meet With Rams
The Rams are set to meet with Ndamukong Suh, according to Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Suh recently visited with the Titans and Saints, but has not signed with either club.
The Rams defense already looks terrifying with a projected starting lineup featuring the likes of defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib (not to mention Kayvon Webster and Nickell Robey-Coleman), free safety LaMarcus Joyner, strong safety John Johnson, and linebacker Mark Barron. The addition of Suh could push Ethan Westbrooks out of the picture, but that likely wouldn’t deter L.A. from signing him.
Last year, Suh graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 interior defensive lineman in the NFL in 2017, and he finished the season with 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He recently turned 31, but he remains one of the league’s most fearsome defensive linemen.
In other Rams news, L.A. is working to re-sign former first round defensive lineman Dominique Easley.
Raiders Trade Cordarrelle Patterson To Patriots
The Raiders will be parting ways with Cordarrelle Patterson and sending the former All-Pro kick returner to the Patriots, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets. Barstool Sports first reported the deal. The Raiders have since announced the deal.
The AFC teams will exchange late-round picks in this deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms as such, reporting (via Twitter) the Raiders will receive a fifth-rounder and send out a sixth-round choice. Oakland previously did not possess a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
Patterson has one more year remaining on his contract, and he’ll be changing teams for the second straight offseason. The Patriots will receive a player who has two first-team All-Pro honors to his credit, those coming during the former first-round pick’s time with the Vikings.
The sixth-year wideout stands to count $3.25MM against the cap this season. He worked as an auxiliary Raiders pass-catcher and gadget player during his one season in Oakland, accumulating 430 yards from scrimmage and scoring twice — both on runs. He averaged 9.3 yards per tote on 13 attempts.
Dion Lewis served as New England’s primary kick returner last season. He’s since signed with the Titans to leave that role vacant, and a franchise that’s valued special teams immensely under Bill Belichick will acquire a dangerous return man to fill Lewis’ spot. Patterson has not served as a punt returner much in his career, so it’s likely the 6-foot-2 cog will be installed on the Pats’ kick-return unit and potentially have a role as a backup wide receiver.
The 2013 first-rounder has not lived up to expectations as a receiver, but he landed on the 2013 and ’16 All-Pro teams for his return work. Patterson has six career kick-return scores, with three of those coming as a rookie.
Oakland has rearranged its wide receiving corps this offseason, jettisoning its No. 2 and No. 4 WRs from a season ago. Although, Jordy Nelson replaced Michael Crabtree. The team may be in need of some depth to take Patterson’s place. Seth Roberts is due back after receiving a $2MM roster bonus late this week. His $2.25MM base salary is now fully guaranteed.
Cowboys To Host Cameron Fleming
The Cowboys are scheduled to meet with free agent OT Cameron Fleming, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirmed the report (via Twitter) and added that the visit will take place tomorrow and Tuesday.
Rapoport also reiterated that New England wants to keep Fleming, which we heard previously. The Patriots lost their long-time left tackle, Nate Solder, earlier this week, when Solder signed a four-year, $62MM deal with the Giants. Fleming, though, has demonstrated the ability to play left tackle in the past, and in 2017, he graded as the league’s No. 24 offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He is the best pure offensive tackle remaining on the open market, and if he were to sign elsewhere, the Pats may be forced to re-sign LaAdrian Waddle and insert him as Tom Brady‘s regular blindside protector (unless they can acquire a starting-caliber player in the draft, of course).
The Cowboys’ O-line has been a source of strength for the team over the past several seasons, and Fleming would further reinforce that unit. Archer notes that Fleming could start at right tackle for Dallas, which could then move La’el Collins back to left guard and strengthen the team’s up-the-middle protection.
Alternatively, the Cowboys could sign Fleming with an eye towards using him as a swing tackle, but it’s unlikely he would turn down a starting job with the Patriots or some other club to become a backup in Dallas. After all, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets, the market for Fleming is heating up, so it’s not as though he won’t have options.
As of right now, Dallas is the only team that has not yet signed a free agent.
Steelers Sign LB Jon Bostic
The Steelers have signed LB Jon Bostic to a two-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Pittsburgh has been quiet since free agency officially opened earlier this week, and Bostic represents the club’s first free agent signing of the new league year.
And it’s a signing the team needed to make. As PFR observed last month, the Steelers’ top priority this offseason was to find a way to replace the production of Ryan Shazier, who will miss the entirety of the 2018 season (at least). Pittsburgh’s run defense collapsed after Shazier’s horrific injury last season, as five of the Steelers’ final six opponents surpassed 100 rushing yards, and the team yielded 164 yards on the ground to the Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Round matchup, damaging the franchise’s hopes of parlaying its first bye in seven years into at least a return to the AFC title game.
Bostic, whom the Bears selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, was a solid, if unspectacular, performer for Chicago during his first two years in the league. He was traded to the Patriots prior to the 2015 campaign but was not as productive in New England as he had been in the Windy City. However, after spending all of 2016 on IR following a trade to Detroit, he turned in a strong 2017 season for the Colts, starting 14 games and posting a career-high 97 tackles along with one sack, one fumble recovery, and three passes defended. He also graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 linebacker in the NFL, a career best, and he was listed as PFR’s 14th-best FA linebacker in this year’s free agent class.
Unless the Steelers make another move either in free agency or the draft, Bostic will pair with Vince Williams to form the starting ILB tandem for Pittsburgh in 2018.
2018 NFL Trades
We’ve already seen a few trades consummated since the 2018 league year began on March 14th, and with the draft not too far off, several more deals figure to be completed this spring. We’ll track those moves – and the rest of the year’s trades, right up until the fall deadline – in this space.
Here’s a breakdown of 2018’s trades to date, in reverse chronological order:
Post-Draft
- Redskins acquired S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
- Packers acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick.
- Rams acquired DE Dante Fowler.
- Jaguars acquired a 2019 third-round pick and a 2020 fifth-round pick.
- Third-round pick will be Los Angeles’ highest compensatory selection if it receives one in 2019. If not, pick will be Rams’ assigned third-rounder.
- Ravens acquired RB Ty Montgomery.
- Packers acquired a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Eagles acquired WR Golden Tate.
- Lions acquired a 2019 third-round pick.
- Texans acquired WR Demaryius Thomas and a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Broncos acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick and a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Lions acquired DT Damon Harrison.
- Giants acquired a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick.
- Saints acquired CB Eli Apple.
- Giants acquired a 2019 fourth-round pick and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Cowboys acquired WR Amari Cooper.
- Raiders acquired a 2019 first-round pick.
- Jaguars acquired RB Carlos Hyde.
- Browns acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick.
- Panthers acquired T Marshall Newhouse.
- Bills acquired a 2021 conditional seventh-round pick.
- Patriots acquired WR Josh Gordon and a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Browns acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick.
- Eagles acquired DB Deiondre’ Hall.
- Bears acquired a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Browns acquired DL Devaroe Lawrence.
- Saints acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Raiders acquired QB A.J. McCarron.
- Bills acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick.
- Colts acquired WR Marcus Johnson.
- Seahawks acquired TE Darrell Daniels.
- Seahawks acquired S Shalom Luani.
- Raiders acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Panthers acquired T Corey Robinson.
- Lions acquired a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Bears acquired LB Khalil Mack, a 2020 second-round pick, and a conditional 2020 fifth-round pick.
- Raiders acquired a 2019 first-round pick, 2019 sixth-round pick, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2020 third-round pick. .
- 49ers acquired T Shon Coleman.
- Browns acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Chiefs acquired S Jordan Lucas.
- Dolphins acquired a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Falcons acquired S Jordan Richards.
- Patriots acquired a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Cowboys acquired OL Parker Ehinger.
- Chiefs acquired CB Charvarius Ward.
- Saints acquired QB Teddy Bridgewater and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
- Jets acquired a 2019 third-round pick.
- Seahawks acquired QB Brett Hundley.
- Packers acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick.
- Titans acquired LB Kamalei Correa.
- Ravens acquired a 2019 sixth-round pick.
- Steelers acquired WR Ryan Switzer and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
- Raiders acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick.
- Vikings acquired C Brett Jones.
- Giants acquired a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Packers acquired LB Antonio Morrison.
- Colts acquired CB Lenzy Pipkins.
- Lions acquired LB Eli Harold.
- 49ers acquired a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick.
- 49ers will acquire 2020 pick if Harold is on Lions’ roster for four weeks.
- Bills acquired WR Corey Coleman.
- Browns acquired a 2020 seventh-round pick.
- Raiders acquired QB Christian Hackenberg.
- Jets acquired a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Cardinals acquired CB Jamar Taylor.
- Browns acquired a 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Dolphins acquired DT Akeem Spence.
- Lions acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick.
During Draft
- Raiders acquired WR Ryan Switzer.
- Cowboys acquired DL Jihad Ward.
- Eagles acquired a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 233; OL Jordan Mailata).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 250; TE Ryan Izzo) and a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Redskins acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 197; LB Shaun Dion Hamilton) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 256; WR Trey Quinn.).
- Rams acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 205; LB Trevon Young) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 231; LB Travin Howard).
- Chiefs acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 198; DT Kahlil McKenzie).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 233) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 243; CB Keion Crossen).
- Falcons acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 194; WR Russell Gage).
- Rams acquired a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 244; DE Justin Lawler) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 256).
- Jets acquired DL Henry Anderson.
- Colts acquired a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 235; LB Zaire Franklin).
- Vikings acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 167; K Daniel Carlson) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 225; CB Devante Downs).
- Jets acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 180; DT Folorunso Fatukasi) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 204; RB Trenton Cannon).
- Rams acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 160; Ogbonnia Okoronkwo).
- Broncos acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 183; G Sam Jones) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 217; LB Keishawn Bierria).
- Vikings acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 157; TE Tyler Conklin).
- Jets acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 167) and a 2018 seventh-round pick.
- Cowboys acquired WR Tavon Austin.
- Rams acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 192; T Jamil Denby).
- Titans acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 152; CB Dane Cruikshank).
- Ravens acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 162; WR Jordan Lasley) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 215; C Bradley Bozeman).
- Seahawks acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 149; P Michael Dickson).
- Broncos acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 156; TE Troy Fumagalli) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 226; RB David Williams).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 140; DT Maurice Hurst).
- Colts acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 159; WR Daurice Fountain) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 185; WR Deon Cain).
- Panthers acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 136; WR Jaleel Scott).
- Rams acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 147; LB Micah Kiser) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 197).
- Lions acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 114; DL Da’Shawn Hand).
- Patriots acquired a 2019 third-round pick.
- Browns acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 105; WR Antonio Callaway).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 114) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 178; LB Christian Sam).
- Buccaneers acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 94; OL Alex Cappa).
- Vikings acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 102; DE Jalyn Holmes) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 180).
- Packers acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 88; LB Oren Burks).
- Panthers acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 101; TE Ian Thomas) and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 147).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 87; DE Arden Key).
- Rams acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 89; Joseph Noteboom) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 217).
- Steelers acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 76; QB Mason Rudolph).
- Seahawks acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 79; DE Rasheem Green) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 220; QB Alex McGough).
- Chiefs acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 75; DL Derrick Nnadi).
- Ravens acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 86; TE Mark Andrews) and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 122; LB Kenny Young).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 65; OL Brandon Parker).
- Ravens acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 75), a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 152), and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 212; T Greg Senat).
- Colts acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 64; DE Tyquan Lewis).
- Browns acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 67; DE Chad Thomas) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 178).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 56; CB Duke Dawson).
- Buccaneers acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 63; CB Carlton Davis), and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 117; S Jordan Whitehead).
- Bears acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 51; WR Anthony Miller).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 105) and a 2019 second-round pick.
- Eagles acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 49; TE Dallas Goedert).
- Colts acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 52; DE Kemoko Turay) and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 169; RB Jordan Wilkins).
- Chiefs acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 46; DE Breeland Speaks) and a 2018 third-round pick (No. 100; LB Dorian O’Daniel).
- Bengals acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 54; S Jessie Bates) and a 2018 third-round pick (No. 78; LB Malik Jefferson).
- 49ers acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 44; WR Dante Pettis) and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 142; CB D.J. Reed).
- Redskins acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 59; RB Derrius Guice) and a 2018 third-round pick (No. 74; T Geron Christian).
- Lions acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 43; RB Kerryon Johnson).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 51) and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 117).
- Titans acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 41; LB Rashaan Evans).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 57; DT P.J. Hall) and a 2019 third-round pick (No. 89).
- Patriots acquired T Trent Brown and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 143; LB Ja’Whaun Bentley).
- 49ers acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 95; S Tarvarius Moore).
- Ravens acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 32; QB Lamar Jackson) and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 132; WR Jaleel Scott).
- Eagles acquired a 2018 second-round pick (No. 52), a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 125; CB Avonte Maddox), and a 2019 second-round pick.
- Titans acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 22; LB Rashaan Evans) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 215).
- Ravens acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 25; TE Hayden Hurst) and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 125).
- Raiders acquired WR Martavis Bryant.
- Steelers acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 79).
- Packers acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 18; CB Jaire Alexander) and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 248; LB Kendall Donnerson).
- Seahawks acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 27; RB Rashaad Penny), a 2018 third-round pick (No. 76), and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 186; LB Jacob Martin).
- Bills acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 16; LB Tremaine Edmunds) and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 154; S Siran Neal).
- Ravens acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 22) and a 2018 third-round pick (No. 65).
- Saints acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 14; DE Marcus Davenport).
- Packers acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 27), a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 147), and a 2019 first-round pick.
- Cardinals acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 10; QB Josh Rosen).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 15; T Kolton Miller), a 2018 third-round pick (No. 79), and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 152).
- Bills acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 7; QB Josh Allen).
- Buccaneers acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 12; DT Vita Vea), a 2018 second-round pick (No. 53; CB M.J. Stewart), a 2018 second-round pick (No. 56), and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 255).
Pre-Draft
- Giants acquired P Riley Dixon.
- Broncos acquired a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Redskins acquired QB Kevin Hogan and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 205).
- Browns acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 188).
- Rams acquired WR Brandin Cooks and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 136).
- Patriots acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 23) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 198).
- Jaguars acquired QB Cody Kessler.
- Browns acquired a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Browns will acquire 2019 pick if Kessler is on Jaguars’ active 46-man roster for six games in 2018.
- Broncos acquired S Su’a Cravens, a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 113), and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 149).
- Redskins acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 109), a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 142), and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 163), and a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick.
- Redskins will acquire 2020 pick if Cravens appears in a playoff game for the Broncos.
- Broncos acquired T Jared Veldheer.
- Cardinals acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 182).
- Buccaneers acquired DE Jason Pierre-Paul and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 102).
- Giants acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 69) and a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 108).
- Cowboys acquired FB Jamize Olawale and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 192).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 173).
- Patriots acquired WR Cordarrelle Patterson and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 210).
- Raiders acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 159).
- Jets acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 3 overall).
- Colts acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 6 overall), a 2018 second-round pick (No. 37), a 2018 second-round pick (No. 49), and a 2019 second-round pick.
- Patriots acquired CB Jason McCourty and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 219).
- Browns acquired a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 205).
- Dolphins acquired C Daniel Kilgore and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 227).
- 49ers acquired a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 223).
- Vikings acquired QB Trevor Siemian and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 225).
- Broncos acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick.
- Bengals acquired T Cordy Glenn, a 2018 first-round pick (No. 21), and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 158).
- Bills acquired a 2018 first-round pick (No. 12) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 187).
- Patriots acquired DT Danny Shelton and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 159).
- Browns acquired a 2019 third-round pick.
- Packers acquired QB DeShone Kizer, a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 101), and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 138).
- Browns acquired DB Damarious Randall, a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 114), and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 150).
- Browns acquired QB Tyrod Taylor.
- Bills acquired a 2018 third-round pick (No. 65).
- Browns acquired WR Jarvis Landry.
- Dolphins acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 123) and a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Panthers acquired WR Torrey Smith.
- Eagles acquired CB Daryl Worley.
- Rams acquired CB Aqib Talib.
- Broncos acquired a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 160).
- Giants acquired LB Alec Ogletree and a 2019 seventh-round pick.
- Rams acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 135) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 176).
- Eagles acquired DE Michael Bennett and a 2018 seventh-round pick (No. 250).
- Seahawks acquired WR Marcus Johnson and a 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 156).
- Dolphins acquired DE Robert Quinn and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 209)
- Rams acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 111) and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 183).
- Rams acquired CB Marcus Peters and a 2018 sixth-round pick (No. 209).
- Chiefs acquired a 2018 fourth-round pick (No. 120) and a 2019 second-round pick.
- Redskins acquired QB Alex Smith.
- Chiefs acquired CB Kendall Fuller and a 2018 third-round pick (No. 78).
Jets To Sign LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
The Jets are finalizing a two-year, $6MM deal with linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (Twitter link). The signing has since been confirmed by Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links).
Pierre-Louis had essentially been a linebacker in name only until 2017, as special teams had been his primary area of focus. But the former fourth-round pick saw a career-high 25% playtime on defense, managing 25 tackles during that time. The Chiefs picked up KPL in a trade with the Seahawks last July that sent fellow ‘backer D.J. Alexanderto Seattle.
With the Jets, Pierre-Louis would likely revert to his natural special teams role. New York signed former Titan Avery Williamson on Wednesday, and plan to deploy him at inside linebacker alongside former first-round pick Darron Lee.
Before signing with New York, Pierre-Louis also took a visit with the Bears.
Buccaneers To Sign Vinny Curry
The Buccaneers are moving fast. Minutes after their release of Robert Ayers, the team is set to sign Vinny Curry.
Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports the Bucs are adding Curry, whom the Eagles released late this week, on a three-year deal worth $27MM with $11.5MM guaranteed.
Curry made 16 starts last season for the Super Bowl champions, the first 16 of his career, and played a key role in Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl title run. The Bucs have now added two pieces from Philly’s defensive front, with Curry joining Beau Allen. They’ve also added Mitch Unrein in what’s been a major effort to overhaul the Gerald McCoy-centered unit.
Set to turn 30 in June, Curry will land on his feet. The Eagles were slated to pay him $9MM this season as part of the previous extension he signed in 2016. Now, he’ll get that from the Bucs per year.
Curry ranked 21st among Pro Football Focus’ edge defender grades last season, 11 spots behind Ayers, and will be expected to provide an outside pass rush to complement McCoy’s nearly unparalleled interior-pursuit abilities. Curry’s best season (2014, nine sacks) came in a 3-4 defense as a rotational player who played on just 32 percent of Philly’s snaps, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). He will likely be utilized more as a pure pass rusher since the Bucs do not have the edge-rushing depth the 2017 Eagles did.
So, Michael Bennett replaced Curry and now Curry will take over for Ayers. It figures to be a matter of time before Ayers lands elsewhere.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Raiders To Retain Marshawn Lynch
Oakland’s Doug Martin signing was not a precursor to a big shakeup in its backfield. The Raiders are going to retain Marshawn Lynch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
He will receive his $1MM roster bonus due on Sunday, Rapoport reports, and appears almost certain to return as the team’s feature back.
Lynch signed a two-year deal with the Raiders, with most of the guaranteed money coming to the running back in Year 1. Jon Gruden provided a public challenge to the soon-to-be 32-year-old running back last month, indicating he needed a “full-time Lynch.” It’s looking like Bay Area fans will have a chance to see at least one more season of Lynch suiting up for his hometown team.
Although Lynch was plagued by injuries during his final year with the Seahawks, leading to his retirement/2016 sabbatical, he played in 15 Raiders games last year. He was not allowed to play in all 16 because of a suspension. While Lynch was reportedly a problem for previous Raiders coaches, he’ll have a strong chance to keep his starting job.
He rushed for 891 yards and seven touchdowns last season, with his 4.3 yards per carry eclipsing the 3.8 mark of his final Seattle slate. Lynch, though, came on strong late in the season, rushing for at least 95 yards three times in the Raiders’ final five games after failing to do that previously for the team.
Lynch, Martin, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard are the top Raiders backs. The latter two are signed to rookie deals but have impressed in spurts in the past. Coming off back-to-back seasons of 2.9 yards per tote, Martin may have to show he’s worthy of another chance with Lynch now being given the green light to stay with Gruden-led team.
Buccaneers Release Robert Ayers
Robert Ayers will not see a third season with the Buccaneers. The team has made the decision to release him, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Bucs signed Ayers during the 2016 free agency period. He was due to make $6MM this season, but Tampa Bay won’t be charged with any dead money for cutting bait on a three-year agreement after two seasons.
Despite Ayers having completed his age-32 season, he remained a high-end producer in Tampa. Pro Football Focus graded the defensive end as the No. 10 edge defender in the league last season. He produced both as a pass rusher and a run defender, but Tampa Bay will turn to a younger player to replace him. Vinny Curry will join the Bucs, following Beau Allen, Will Clarke and Mitch Unrein in what’s looking like a near-total revamp around Gerald McCoy.
A former Giants and Broncos cog with experience as an end in 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, Ayers figures to generate interest on the open market. Although, he wasn’t especially durable with the Bucs, playing in just 10 games in each of his two seasons. His sack total plummeted from 9.5 with the 2015 Giants to six with the ’16 Bucs to 2.5 last season.
Ayers will be set for a 10th NFL season if he signs elsewhere.