Police Searching For Aldon Smith
Aldon Smith was identified as a suspect in an alleged domestic violence incident. Police are pursuing Smith, who fled the scene Sunday after this incident occurred, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com reports.
The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries after this alleged altercation, which is believed to have occurred Saturday night, and the San Francisco Police Department has begun a search for the 28-year-old Smith. Bair reports SFPD Special Victims Unit would like to interview Smith upon apprehension.
Smith, who TMZ reported got engaged last week, is currently suspended from the NFL for previous off-the-field infractions. Charges being filed for this would make it difficult to believe he could work his way back into the league.
Bair reports that the two-year Raiders contract Smith signed in 2016 is not believed to have tolled for 2016 but adds that he would still be a member of the Raiders if he were reinstated. While it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever play for the Raiders again, Smith still being tied to the team would seemingly mean the 2017 season did toll.
That seems like immaterial at this point due to the litany of legal issues the former All-Pro outside linebacker has encountered.
Smith cooperated with a domestic violence investigation in February 2017 and was the passenger of a vehicle his girlfriend drove into an unmanned police car in March of last year. Reports from last year did not indicate the former first-round pick was particularly close to being reinstated after he’d applied in fall 2016. It’s quite possible Smith will not play in the NFL again. He has not played in a game since November 2015.
Eagles To Release DL Vinny Curry?
The Eagles are expected to release defensive lineman Vinny Curry, but could attempt to restructure his contract before making the cut official, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (all Twitter links). Meanwhile, other NFL clubs are expressing interest in trading for Curry, per Rapoport.
Philadelphia, of course, is coming off a Super Bowl title, but now faces an offseason of cost-cutting. Releasing Curry represents the first of those moves, as parting ways with the veteran defender will clear his $9MM base salary from the Eagles’ 2018 books. However, $6MM worth of Curry’s prorated bonus money will now immediately accelerated onto Philadelphia’s salary cap, leaving the club with a net savings of $5MM.
For most teams, a $5MM cap savings would represent a drop in the bucket, but it’s a critical total for the Eagles, who were a projected $10.41MM over the cap before cutting Curry. Philadelphia will still be over the cap following Curry’s release, so more transactions — which could potentially include cutting wide receiver Torrey Smith or trading backup quarterback Nick Foles — are likely on the table.
Curry, 29, played the most defensive snaps of his career (576) of his career in 2017, and saw the third-most playtime among Eagles defensive lineman. While Curry managed only three sacks, he posted 28.5 quarterback pressures and graded as the NFL’s No. 21 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Curry excellent marks for his run defense.
Philadelphia, though, has cheaper options along its defensive line. Brandon Graham will earn just $8MM in base salary in 2018, the final year of his contract, while Chris Long will collect only $2.25MM. And the Eagles used their 2017 first-round pick on edge rusher Derek Barnett, who is under team control through at least 2020 at cost effective rates.
Given his track record and his ability to slide to defensive tackle in sub packages, Curry should be able to generate a market in free agency. He’ll be aided by a weak free agent defensive end class, as well as the fact that he won’t factor into the 2019 compensatory pick formula now that’s been released.
Browns Open To Saquon Barkley At No. 1
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is “firmly in the mix” to be selected by the Browns with the first overall pick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Indeed, Barkley would likely be Cleveland’s choice if the draft occurred today, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Barkley is fresh off dominating the NFL’s scouting combine, as he ranked in the 96th percentile or greater among halfbacks in the 40-yard dash, bench press, and vertical jump. He also topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his three seasons with the Nittany Lions, and reached the end zone 43 times over his final two collegiate years.
Selecting Barkley at No. 1 overall would mean the Browns would likely select a quarterback at No. 4, and Cleveland reportedly likes Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield “a lot,” per Garafolo. Of course, if the Browns don’t select Mayfield — or another signal-caller –with the first overall selection, there’s no guarantee their preferred option would be available three picks later. However, given the small three-space gap in their first-round slots, the Browns would be assured of landing one of Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, or Josh Allen at No. 4.
As Rapoport notes, a running back has not been drafted first overall since the Bengals took Ki-Jana Carter — like Barkley, a Penn State alum — in 1995. Running back has become something of a devalued position, especially contractually, but Barkley would be entitled to a $8.2MM annual salary if selected at No. 1. That figure would immediately place Barkley among the top-three highest-paid running backs in the NFL.
No Major Progress Towards Le’Veon Bell Deal
Despite reports that Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers are more likely to reach a long-term deal this year than they were last year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the two sides have yet to make major progress towards a multi-year contract.
The deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag to prospective free agents is Tuesday, March 6, and at this point, it looks as if Bell will be tagged for the second consecutive year (although GM Kevin Colbert continues to talk to Bell’s representatives, and he reportedly hopes an agreement will be reached by Tuesday’s deadline). Of course, if Bell is hit with the tag, he and the Steelers would still have until mid-July to negotiate a new deal.
In something of a humorous side note, Bell is getting a little help in these negotiations from teammate Maurkice Pouncey. As Fowler notes, Pouncey has taken to Instagram to support Bell, suggesting that if the star RB does not have a new deal by the time the 2018 league year opens, Pouncey will personally speak with Colbert, head coach Mike Tomlin, and team president Art Rooney II to try and facilitate matters.
This year’s franchise tender for running backs would pay Bell around $14.5MM for the 2018 campaign, which gives him a platform on which to negotiate a long-term contract. Last summer, Bell rejected a five-year offer that would have paid him a guaranteed $30MM over the course of the first two years (and $60MM overall), but after putting together another excellent season in 2017, he could exceed both of those figures if he and Pittsburgh can finally work something out in the coming months.
Jarvis Landry To Accept Franchise Tag
Jarvis Landry is about to become one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins wide receiver will accept the franchise tag, and he described the impending signing as imminent. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that Landry is expected to sign next week, and he adds that both sides are working toward a trade.
We heard back in February that the Dolphins were going to franchise their top receiver. The deal will lock the wideout into a $16.23MM contract in 2018. The corresponding cap hit would rank fourth among wide receivers, behind only Antonio Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, and Dez Bryant.
Of course, it’s unlikely that Landry will be on Miami’s books in 2018. There were previous reports that the team could be shopping the receiver, and we learned this week that the Dolphins have allowed Landry to “seek and facilitate” a trade. Landry and his agent would presumably be seeking a long-term contract from any interested team, as few teams would have interest in the wideout on his one-year deal. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald previously projected that the Dolphins should expect to receive a third-round pick, a late second-round pick, or a player in return for Landry. We heard that the Bears could be a potential suitor, and there was some buzz around a Landry-for-Jordan Howard swap earlier today (those reports were quickly shot down). The Panthers and Saints reportedly don’t have interest.
After two straight 1,000-yard campaigns, Landry finished the 2017 season with 987 receiving yards. The 25-year-old did compile a league-leading 112 receptions and a career-high nine receiving touchdowns, earning him his third-straight Pro Bowl nod.
Saints Sign DB Kurt Coleman
The Saints added some reinforcement at safety overnight. Following a meeting earlier this week, the team has signed former Panthers defensive back Kurt Coleman, reports Nick Underhill of The Advocate (via Twitter). Underhill notes (via Twitter) that it’s a three-year deal for Coleman, while NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds that the deal is worth $18MM, with $6.5MM due in the first year of the contract.
Coleman, a 2010 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State, bounced around the league during his first few years in the NFL. He ultimately landed with the Panthers in 2015, and he proceeded to start 30 games for the organization between 2015 and 2016. During that two-year stretch, Coleman finished each campaign with at least 90 tackles, seven passes defended, and four interceptions. However, the 29-year-old took a bit of a step back in 2017, compiling 76 tackles, three passes defended, and zero interceptions. These numbers ultimately earned him a bottom-10 safety ranking according to Pro Football Focus.
Despite the struggles, Coleman should still get an opportunity to play next season in New Orleans. The Saints aren’t expected to re-sign defensive back Kenny Vaccaro, meaning Coleman could play plenty in the team’s three-safety sets. He’ll ultimately compete with Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams for playing time, but there should be more than enough snaps for the trio.
The Saints weren’t the only team to express interest in the veteran safety. According to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell (via Twitter), the Bengals also offered Coleman a three-year deal.
Rams To Trade Robert Quinn To Dolphins
The Rams have agreed to another big trade. They are going to ship Robert Quinn to the Dolphins in exchange for a mid-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links).
The Rams discussed dealing the eighth-year edge defender to the Chiefs for Marcus Peters, but the sides settled on a second- and fourth-round pick. Now, it looks like the Rams are getting a trade pick back to help compensate for the mid-rounders they sent for Peters and Sammy Watkins over the past several months.
Miami will send its fourth- and sixth-round picks to Los Angeles for Quinn and a sixth-rounder, Peter Schrager of NFL.com tweets. The Rams had three sixth-round picks in this draft, after collecting the third in the Peters deal, and it’s uncertain which one they will send to the Dolphins. The Dolphins also had two fourth-rounders after the Jay Ajayi trade as well, so it’s also not known which pick they agreed to include in this deal.
Quinn has two years and just more than $25MM remaining on his second NFL contract, and he’ll now return to a 4-3 scheme after spending 2017 in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4. While Quinn bounced back to start 14 games after being limited to fewer than 10 during the two prior years, he has not been the dominant force he was in St. Louis. But he will only be set for his age-28 season in 2018, so the Dolphins are betting the former first-round pick has some quality years left.
The former North Carolina prodigy compiled three straight seasons of 10-plus sacks from 2012-14, with that stretch peaking via 2013’s 19-sack season that placed Quinn on the top All-Pro team. He registered 8.5 sacks last season and has 62.5 for his career to go along with an impressive 21 forced fumbles (seven in that All-Pro slate). A back injury and a concussion limited Quinn to just 17 games during the 2015 and ’16 seasons.
This move is interesting financially for the Dolphins, who are projected to be $8MM-plus over the cap. They have given Jarvis Landry permission to find a trade and don’t look intent on carrying his $16.2MM franchise tag on their books. But Quinn is set for $12MM-plus cap numbers in each of the next two seasons. But none of that money is guaranteed.
With Quinn representing the third-highest cap hold on the Rams’ payroll, this will help a franchise that has multiple marquee UFAs it would like to retain in Watkins and Lamarcus Joyner and a looming extension for probably the best defensive player in football. The Rams entered Friday with $39.9MM in cap space.
Traded NFL Draft Picks For 2018
While many 2018 NFL draft picks that get traded won’t be moved until later in the offseason, or during the draft itself, plenty of selections have already changed hands. This list will continue to be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back after trades have been consummated for an updated look at which picks are on the move for 2018. If you have any corrections, please contact us.
Here are 2018’s traded draft picks:
Updated 4-8-18 (1:45pm CT)
Round 1
- Jets acquired pick No. 3 from Colts.
- Browns acquired pick No. 4 from Texans in deal for QB Deshaun Watson.
- Colts acquired pick No. 6 from Jets in deal for No. 3 pick.
- Bills acquired pick No. 12 from Bengals in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Bengals acquired pick No. 21 from Bills in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Bills acquired pick No. 22 from Chiefs in deal for QB Patrick Mahomes.
- Patriots acquired pick No. 23 from Rams in deal for WR Brandin Cooks.
Round 2
- Browns acquired pick No. 35 from Texans in deal for QB Brock Osweiler.
- Colts acquired pick No. 37 from Jets in deal for No. 3 pick.
- Patriots acquired pick No. 43 from 49ers in deal for QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
- Colts acquired pick No. 49 from Jets in deal for No. 3 pick.
- Bills acquired pick No. 56 from Rams in deal for WR Sammy Watkins.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 59 from Saints in deal for RB Alvin Kamara.
- Browns acquired pick No. 64 from Eagles in deal for 2016 No. 2 pick.
Round 3
- Bills acquired pick No. 65 from Browns in deal for QB Tyrod Taylor.
- Giants acquired pick No. 69 from Buccaneers in deal for DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 70 from Bears in deal for QB Mitch Trubisky.
- Chiefs acquired pick No. 78 from Redskins in deal for QB Alex Smith.
- Texans acquired pick No. 80 from Seahawks in deal for T Duane Brown.
- Panthers acquired pick No. 85 from Bills in deal for WR Kelvin Benjamin.
- Bills acquired pick No. 96 from Eagles in deal for CB Ronald Darby.
Round 4
- Packers acquired pick No. 101 from Browns in deal for DB Damarious Randall.
- Buccaneers acquired pick No. 102 from Giants in deal for DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
- Giants acquired pick No. 108 from Buccaneers in deal for DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 109 from Broncos in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Rams acquired pick No. 111 from Dolphins in deal for DE Robert Quinn.
- Broncos acquired pick No. 113 from Redskins in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Browns acquired pick No. 114 from Packers in deal for QB DeShone Kizer.
- Bears acquired pick No. 115 from Cardinals in deal for S Budda Baker.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 123 from Browns in deal for WR Jarvis Landry.
- Chiefs acquired pick No. 124 from Rams in deal for CB Marcus Peters.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 128 from Steelers in deal for TE Vance McDonald.
- Eagles acquired pick No. 130 from Patriots in deal for CB Eric Rowe.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 131 from Eagles in deal RB Jay Ajayi.
- Rams acquired pick No. 135 from Giants in deal for LB Alec Ogletree.
- Rams acquired pick No. 136 from Patriots in deal for WR Brandin Cooks.
Round 5
- Packers acquired pick No. 138 from Browns in deal for DB Damarious Randall.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 141 from Texans in deal for T Duane Brown.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 142 from Broncos in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 143 from Jets in deal for CB Rashard Robinson.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 146 from Raiders in deal for RB Marshawn Lynch.
- Saints acquired pick No. 147 from Dolphins in deal for LB Stephone Anthony.
- Steelers acquired pick No. 148 from 49ers in deal for TE Vance McDonald.
- Broncos acquired pick No. 149 from Redskins in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Browns acquired pick No. 150 from Packers in deal for QB DeShone Kizer.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 156 from Eagles in deal for DL Michael Bennett.
- Jets acquired pick No. 157 from Cowboys in deal for S Xavier Woods.
- Bengals acquired pick No. 158 from Bills in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Raiders acquired pick No. 159 from Patriots in deal for WR Cordarrelle Patterson.
- Broncos acquired pick No. 160 from the Rams in deal for CB Aqib Talib.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 163 from Broncos in deal for S Su’a Cravens.
- Bills acquired pick No. 166 from Jaguars in deal for DT Marcell Dareus.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 168 from Patriots in deal for DE Cassius Marsh.
- Raiders acquired pick No. 173 from Cowboys in deal for FB Jamize Olawale.
Round 6
- Rams acquired pick No. 176 from Giants in deal for LB Alec Ogletree.
- Cardinals acquired pick No. 182 from Broncos in deal for T Jared Veldheer.
- Rams acquired pick No. 183 from Dolphins in deal for DE Robert Quinn.
- Bills acquired pick No. 187 from Bengals in deal for T Cordy Glenn.
- Browns acquired pick No. 188 from Redskins in deal for QB Kevin Hogan.
- Saints acquired pick No. 189 from Cardinals in deal for RB Adrian Peterson.
- Cowboys acquired pick from Raiders in deal for FB Jamize Olawale.
- Rams acquired pick No. 194 from Lions in deal for T Greg Robinson.
- Rams acquired pick No. 195 from Bills in deal for CB E.J. Gaines.
- Patriots acquired pick No. 198 from Rams in deal for WR Brandin Cooks.
- Buccaneers acquired pick No. 202 from Steelers in deal for S J.J. Wilcox.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 205 from Browns in deal for QB Kevin Hogan.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 209 from Rams in deal for DE Robert Quinn.
- Raiders acquired pick No. 210 from Patriots in deal for WR Cordarrelle Patterson.
Round 7
- Patriots acquired pick No. 219 from Browns in deal for CB Jason McCourty.
- Steelers acquired pick No. 220 from Giants in deal for CB Ross Cockrell.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 223 from Dolphins in deal for C Daniel Kilgore.
- Vikings acquired pick No. 225 from the Broncos in deal for QB Trevor Siemian.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 226 from Jets in deal for WR Jermaine Kearse.
- Dolphins acquired pick No. 227 from the 49ers in deal for C Daniel Kilgore.
- Jaguars acquired pick No. 230 from Bengals in deal for DE Chris Smith.
- Chiefs acquire pick No. 233 from Cardinals in deal for CB Marcus Cooper.
- Panthers acquired pick No. 234 from Bills in deal for WR Kelvin Benjamin.
- Jets acquired pick No. 235 from Seahawks in deal for DT Sheldon Richardson.
- Packers acquired pick No. 239 from Bills in deal for LB Lerentee McCray.
- 49ers acquired pick No. 240 from Chiefs in deal for CB Kenneth Acker.
- Redskins acquired pick No. 241 from the Rams in deal for TE Derek Carrier.
- Chiefs acquired pick No. 243 from the Titans in deal for DE David King.
- Seahawks acquired pick No. 248 from Vikings in deal for CB Tramaine Brock.
- Bengals acquired pick No. 249 from Patriots in deal for LB Marquis Flowers.
- Eagles acquired pick No. 250 from Seahawks in deal for DL Michael Bennett.
Complete 2018 NFL Draft Order
The full 2018 NFL draft order can be found below, sorted by round. The list of 256 selections includes all traded draft picks and compensatory picks, and will continue to be updated leading up to the draft if additional deals are made. For an explanation of how traded picks were acquired, check out our complete breakdown.
Here’s the complete 2018 NFL draft order:
Updated 4-8-18 (1:46pm CT)
Round One:
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- New York Jets (from Indianapolis)
- Cleveland Browns (from Houston)
- Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Chicago Bears
- San Francisco 49ers
- Oakland Raiders
- Miami Dolphins
- Buffalo Bills (from Cincinnati)
- Washington Redskins
- Green Bay Packers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Baltimore Ravens
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Cincinnati Bengals (from Buffalo)
- Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City)
- New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Rams)
- Carolina Panthers
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- Philadelphia Eagles
Round Two:
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- Cleveland Browns (from Houston)
- Indianapolis Colts
- Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets)
- Tampa Bay Buccaners
- Chicago Bears
- Denver Broncos
- Oakland Raiders
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots (from San Francisco)
- Washington Redskins
- Green Bay Packers
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Indianapolis Colts (from Seattle via New York Jets)
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Carolina Panthers
- Buffalo Bills (from Los Angeles Rams)
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- San Francisco 49ers (from New Orleans)
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia)
49ers To Pick 9th, Raiders To Pick 10th
The order for the 2018 draft is officially in the books. The 49ers won the coin toss for the rights to the No. 9 pick on Friday afternoon. The Raiders will now pick 10th. Beyond the first round, the Niners, Raiders, and Dolphins will alternate draft order due to their identical records.
The 49ers and Raiders both finished the year with matching 6-10 record and an identical strength of schedule. Typically, conference record is the next tiebreaker, but because the two teams are in different divisions and conferences, the logjam was settled with a coin flip.
The Raiders aren’t the only losers in today’s toss. The Patriots hold the rights to the Niners’ second-round pick thanks to the Jimmy Garoppolo trade and they’ll now pick at No. 43 overall instead of No. 41.
Here is the complete rundown of this year’s draft order:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
9.San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
10. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)