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Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/19

By | at March 21, 2019 9:04 pm

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

Oakland Raiders

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Raiders Notes : Burfict, Brown, Smith

By | at March 20, 2019 9:44 pm

Antonio Brown was a victim of one of linebacker Vontaze Burfict‘s many dirty hits, going down with a concussion after Burfict arguably head-hunted the former Steelers wideout in the 2015 playoffs. But now that Brown and Burfict are now teammates on the Raiders, the ex-Bengals linebacker isn’t worried about getting along. “It’s all positive, man,” Burfict said, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal. “He’s a great player. He’s going to be in the Hall of Fame one day. Honestly, I’m just going to approach him like I do all my other teammates, introduce myself, all that good stuff. There’s nothing negative over here. We’re all on the same team.” Burfict, 28, inked a one-year deal with Oakland on Tuesday just one day after being released by Cincinnati.

  • In addition to visiting with safeties George Iloka and Curtis Riley on Wednesday, the Raiders are also hosting free agent cornerback Tyler Patmon, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Patmon, 28, appeared in 49 total games over the past four years while spending time with the Cowboys, Dolphins, and Jaguars, but only started four of those contests. Last season, Patmon played in 12 games for the Jaguars, seeing roughly 30% playing time on both defense and special teams. Oakland is signed ex-Detroit cornerback Nevin Lawson earlier tonight to play alongside projected starters Gareon Conley and Daryl Worley.
  • Former Raiders/Chiefs corner Sean Smith has been reinstated by the NFL, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Smith was suspended indefinitely in November 2018 after being charged with felony assault. He spent part of last year in prison, but was released over the summer. Now entering his age-32 campaign, Smith’s play had already begun to deteriorate even before his ban, meaning he’s unlikely to ever return to the NFL.
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Raiders Sign CB Nevin Lawson

By | at March 20, 2019 9:11 pm

The Raiders have agreed to sign free agent cornerback Nevin Lawson, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal worth $3.05MM, tweets Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Oakland was the first and only visit on Lawson’s brief free gent tour. After five years in Detroit, Lawson was released by the Lions earlier this month. He met with the Raiders on Tuesday, and will now join a defensive backfield that’s light on experience, meaning Lawson could be in line for significant playing time.

At present, the Raiders are projected to start Daryl Worley and Gareon Conley at cornerback, but they’ll need a third player capable of playing at least 60% of the club’s defensive snaps. Lawson has the ability to play both outside cornerback and in the slot, and he’ll give Oakland a veteran alternative to young defensive backs Nick Nelson, Rico Gafford and Makinton Dorleant.

Lawson, 26, appeared in 62 games for the Lions after being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and started 45 of a possible 48 contests over the past three years. While he deflected an average of 6.5 passes during those three seasons, Lawson has amazingly never posted a single interception on nearly 3,000 career snaps.

Advanced metrics, meanwhile, haven’t been complementary of Lawson’s work. Among 60 qualifying corners, Lawson finished 37th in Football Outsiders’ success rate — meaning he was slightly worse than average at stopping opposing receivers short of the sticks — but just 44th on yards per pass. Moreover, the Lions ranked 27th in DVOA against opposing No. 2 wide receivers, the pass-catchers Lawson was most often covering opposite Darius Slay.

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Raiders Hosted Cassius Marsh

By | at March 20, 2019 6:59 pm

The Raiders hosted free agent defensive end Cassius Marsh earlier this week, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Marsh was released by the 49ers last week after spending parts of two seasons in the Bay Area. San Francisco originally claimed Marsh off waivers in November 2017 and signed him to an extension the following April. The Niners had just exercised Marsh’s option for the 2018 season earlier this month, but the club didn’t have a need for him after acquiring fellow defensive end Dee Ford from the Chiefs.

Now entering his age-27 campaign, Marsh played a career-high 550 defensive snaps in 2018, racking up 38 tackles (seven for loss) and 5.5 sacks in the process. He also saw action on roughly 50% of the 49ers’ special teams plays a year ago, and has nearly reached the 80% ST threshold in prior seasons.

Special teams would likely be an area of focus for Marsh if he signs with Oakland (especially after the team ranked just 22nd in Football Outsiders ST ratings), but the Raiders need help on the edge, too. Oakland posted only 13 sacks in 2018, the fewest of any team in more than a decade.

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Dwayne Haskins To Meet With Five Teams

By | at March 20, 2019 5:41 pm

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins will work out for the Raiders and Dolphins in the coming days, and also plans to meet with the Redskins, Broncos, and Giants, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Fully expected to become a top-10 pick in next month’s draft, Haskins will likely embark on a busy schedule over the next several weeks. Haskins performed at OSU’s Pro Day earlier today, giving NFL clubs an up-close look at his abilities, and he’ll surely meet with a number of other teams — in addition to those listed above — in the weeks leading up to the draft.

New York will meet with Haskins despite conflicting reports about its potential interest in the Buckeye signal-caller. While some reports have indicated Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is “all over” Haskins, others have said Haskins isn’t likely to be a target for Big Blue.

Washington is another logical candidate to land Haskins, as the Redskins need a cheap quarterback given that Alex Smith is expensive and unlikely to play any time soon. Given that need, Washington has already begun “sniffing around” about a possible trade up from No. 15 overall, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The Jets, who are looking to recoup draft capital after moving up for Sam Darnold in 2018, might be a trade partner for Washington at No. 3.

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Raiders To Meet With George Iloka

By | at March 20, 2019 9:20 am

The Raiders are hosting former Vikings safety George Iloka on a visit, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Former Giants safety Curtis Riley is also en route to Oakland, Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter) hears.

The Raiders already invested heavily in the secondary by signing safety Lamarcus Joyner to a four-year, $42MM deal, but they’re expected to deploy him mostly at nickel corner. That leaves a serious need at safety, and Iloka and/or Riley could help fill the gap.

Iloka, a former Bengal, has history with defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, and that same connection led to a deal between the Raiders and linebacker Vontaze Burfict earlier this week. Iloka can play free or strong safety, which could be a big plus for the Raiders’ secondary. Iloka was a starter for the bulk of his career with the Bengals, but played mostly in a reserve role with the Vikings last year. In past years, however, Iloka looked the part of an elite safety.

Riley, 27 this summer, had a breakout campaign during his first season with the Giants. After appearing in eleven games with the Titans between 2016 and 2017, the defensive back started all 16 contests last year. Riley recorded 75 tackles, five passes defended, and four interceptions, though Pro Football Focus only ranked him 79th among 93 eligible safeties. Riley visited the Packers on Monday, but left Green Bay without a deal.

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Contract Details: Ingram, Suggs, Kendricks

By | at March 19, 2019 10:52 pm

Here are the latest details from some agreed-upon contracts during the second wave of free agency. All links courtesy of the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, unless otherwise noted.

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CB Nevin Lawson To Visit Raiders

By | at March 19, 2019 4:15 pm

A Lions cap casualty, Nevin Lawson will make his first free agency visit on Wednesday. The veteran cornerback will meet with the Raiders, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Raiders have made a few key additions this offseason, including bringing in safety Lamarcus Joyner, but have not bolstered their cornerback situation — one that fluctuated in 2018. Lawson would be a step in that direction.

Oakland did place a second-round tender on Daryl Worley and still has Reggie McKenzie-era draft choice Gareon Conley, but the team’s cornerback corps is far from settled.

Beyond Conley and Worley, only Nick Nelson, Rico Gafford and Makinton Dorleant reside on the Raiders’ roster at corner. There will surely be changes before this situation is finalized.

Lawson spent five seasons in Detroit, the former fourth-round pick starting 54 games. The 27-year-old defender was the Lions’ primary Darius Slay complementary starter from 2016-18. Despite his place on the Lions’ depth chart and Slay being entrenched as Detroit’s No. 1 corner, Lawson has yet to record an interception. He stayed with the Lions last year via a two-year, $9.2MM deal.

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Raiders To Meet With Vontaze Burfict

By | at March 19, 2019 10:11 am

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict will meet with the Raiders on Tuesday, sources tell Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Burfict’s old defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther, is in Oakland, so this could be a natural fit. 

Of course, there are some obvious barriers to a Burfict-Raiders deal, including the presence of Antonio Brown in Oakland. In 2015, Burfict leveled Brown with a hit that garnered a suspension and heavy fine. Given Brown’s temperament, the Raiders may want to ask the two men to bury the hatchet before actually signing Burfict.

From a football perspective, a deal would make sense. The Raiders are in the market for linebackers and they recently hosted free agents Manti Te’o and Aaron Lynch. Also, it’s likely that Burfict can be had on a relatively inexpensive shorter term deal, which could hold appeal for a club that has committed serious years and dollars to players this offseason.

In addition to Te’o, Lynch, and Burfict, the Raiders are also said to have interest in former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall.

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