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Browns, Bills Finalists For Josh McCown?

February 26th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Multiple reports emerged linking Josh McCown to two of the perpetually quarterback-needy teams. Both the Browns and Bills are trying to sign the 35-year-old free agent, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The news that the Browns and Bills are zeroing in on McCown, who the Buccaneers released earlier this month, came after an Associated Press report saying both teams were negotiating a contract with one of the top targets in a quarterback-starved market. McCown already visited both teams with his trip to Cleveland coming after an apparently productive excursion to Buffalo, along with meetings with the Bears and Jets.

McCown, who went 1-10 in Tampa Bay last year, has ties to coaches on both the Browns’ and Bills’ staffs and sits near the top of a market that also includes Mark Sanchez and likely ex-Browns QB Brian Hoyer (10-6 for the Browns in two seasons). Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was the Bears OC the past two years and coached McCown during his most notable stretch of his career, when he completed 66% of his tosses in five games of Jay Cutler‘s injury absence. That number sunk to just more than 56% with the Bucs last season with 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.

Although McCown is six years older than new Browns QBs coach Kevin O’Connell, he played for new Cleveland offensive coordinator John DeFilippo during a 2007 stint with the Raiders when DeFilippo was the OC there.

Both E.J. Manuel and Johnny Manziel are enigmas at this point, although Manuel’s 58.6 career completion percentage provides a bit more of a glimpse into his NFL fate than Manziel’s brief-but-disastrous rookie campaign.

Extra Points: Bush, Peterson, Skrine

February 26th, 2015 at 9:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Reggie Bush is available, but he’s not the answer to the Saints‘ problems, Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune writes. Bush was the very first draft pick Sean Payton’s nine-year tenure in New Orleans, but they’re probably prioritizing a new deal for the 25-year-old Mark Ingram instead.

The Saints remain saddled with the NFL’s worst cap situation at more than $21MM over, which makes adding a running back entering his age-30 season probably a non-starter.

In other news around the league …

Money is the overlooked factor in the drama between Adrian Peterson and the Vikings, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Peterson might be unhappy with perceived slights from the organization, but the reality is that he could earn $12.75MM with the Vikings in 2015 and it’s not clear if another team would pay him that much, especially after giving up whatever is necessary in compensation to the Vikings in a trade.
Wide receiver Kevin Dorsey, who was cut by the Packers last week along with tight end Brandon Bostick, has three more visits with teams scheduled for next week after meeting with the Patriots, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
Browns cornerback Buster Skrine is attracting plenty of interest from other teams, sources told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Serving as the No. 2 corner to Joe Haden on last season’s No. 8-ranked pass defense that didn’t get much out of No. 8 overall pick Justin Gilbert, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Skrine could command as much as $7MM per year, per Cabot, on the free agent market headlined by Brandon Flowers, Kareem Jackson and Byron Maxwell.
The Bucs hired Paul Spicer as assistant defensive line coach, per the Baltimore Sun’s Wilson on Twitter. A former Jaguars defensive end, Spicer previously served as the Jaguars assistant DL coach and played under current Tampa Bay defensive line coach Joe Cullen for the Jags.

Luke Adams and Sam Robinson contributed to this report

East Notes: Herremans, Clay, Orakpo

February 26th, 2015 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Todd Herremans has not been officially released by the Eagles yet and he cannot start talking to other teams until that happens, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The move needs to show up on the league’s personnel notice before Herremans is allowed to chat with other clubs. Herremans, 32, has been with the Eagles since the club selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. The Eagles could opt to hand Herremans’ job over to backups Allen Barbre or Matt Tobin but may look at Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

Wisniewski started all 16 games for the Raiders in each of his four years, with the last 48 games coming at center. The son of former Raiders great Steve Wisniewski opened his career with 16 starts at left guard, increasing his versatility. Stefen Wisnewski is a cheaper alternative to signing Mike Iupati or Orlando Franklin, although perhaps not too much cheaper. He ranks 32nd on Pro Football Focus’ top 75 free agents.

In other news across the league’s eastern divisions …

The Eagles are also expected to pursue free agent corner Byron Maxwell, and Phillymag.com’s Sheil Kapadia examines why they should with a film-based analysis. Maxwell was the fourth Legion of Boom member the past 1 1/2 seasons, starting in two Super Bowls, and served as an effective deterrent as teams attacked the Seahawks defense’s right flank. At 27, Maxwell is one of the market’s top corners.
League insiders tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that if the Dolphins can strike a deal with pending free agent Charles Clay in the coming weeks, it probably decreases the likelihood that wide receiver Mike Wallace remains. Top exec Mike Tannenbaum has made it known that he wants to retain the tight end.
Washington met with Brian Orakpo‘s agent at last week’s scouting combine and expressed interest in re-signing him, but there’s a long way to go between the two sides, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. In an extended look at Orakpo’s free agency, Keim notes that many people around the league don’t expect Orakpo to return to D.C.
Washington has hired Dave Ragone as their offensive quality control coach, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com tweets. Ragone served as the Titans’ wide receiver coach from 2011-12 and the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2013.

Zach Links contributed to this report

Falcons Release Steven Jackson

February 26th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Zachary Links

6:37pm: The Falcons confirmed the news via press release.

6:29pm: The Falcons have released running back Steven Jackson, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Zach Klein of ABC 2 (via Twitter) first reported that Jackson would be one of the players let go on Friday.

Jackson, 32 in July, appeared in 15 games for the Falcons last season, running for 707 yards off of 190 carries with 6 TDs. In two seasons with the Falcons, Jackson rushed for 1,250 yards on 347 carries with 12 touchdowns. He also added 53 catches for 339 yards and one receiving touchdown.

S-Jax first joined the Falcons as a free agent in March of 2013 after spending his entire career with the Rams up until that point. At the peak of his career, Jackson was regarded as one of the best running backs in the NFL and had three Pro Bowl selections to his credit. In his breakthrough season in 2006, Jackson ran for 1,528 yards off of 346 carries, good for 4.4 yards per attempt. In 2009, Jackson would approach those numbers with 1,416 yards off of 324 carries. Jackson left St. Louis as a 1,000+ yard rusher but he was not able to match that kind of production over the last two seasons in Atlanta.

Cutting Jackson will save Atlanta ~$3.75MM against the cap, though they’ll be left with $1.66MM in dead money. Jackson joins a list of notable veteran tailbacks who have been released this offseason as Reggie Bush, DeAngelo Williams, Chris Johnson, and Peyton Hillis are also seeking employment.

The release of Jackson could put the Falcons into the market for a running back in free agency or the draft, or they might simply opt to promote from within and give more touches to the likes of Devonta Freeman.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Broncos, Coleman, Ravens, Revis

February 26th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on a report that indicated the Broncos and Peyton Manning are engaged in contract discussions, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) notes that the veteran quarterback would like the team to re-sign tight end Julius Thomas, even though that seems increasingly unlikely. Whether Manning takes a pay cut or simply restructures his deal, the move could create $7-9MM in cap room, which would certainly give the club more flexibility to bring back free agents like Thomas and Terrance Knighton.

Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall is still a year away from even being eligible for restricted free agency, but he has signed with Rosenhaus Sports, and will be represented by Drew Rosenhaus and Jason Katz, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter).
The Chiefs met with the representative for safety Kurt Coleman at the combine, and talks between the two sides were positive, a source tells Herbie Teope of ChiefsDigest.com. Earlier in the month, we heard that Coleman would likely be seeking $1.5-2MM per year, and would prefer to sign with a team that gives him the opportunity to start.
There’s a case to be made for the Ravens to try to retain most of their free agents, but Pernell McPhee looks like a goner, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap in his preview of Baltimore’s offseason. You can find PFR’s own look ahead at the Ravens’ offseason right here.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com also weighs in on the Ravens‘ upcoming moves, focusing on the immediate future and explaining what the team could do to create $15MM+ in cap room.
Joel Corry of CBSSports.com breaks down the Darrelle Revis situation, writing that it wouldn’t surprise him if the cornerback left a little money on the table to re-sign with the Patriots, but still drove a very hard bargain. Corry could imagine the first three years of such a deal exceeding Patrick Peterson‘s contract with the Cardinals, but falling short of top contracts like J.J. Watt‘s and Mario Williams‘.

Cole Beasley, Cowboys Discussing Extension

February 26th, 2015 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys and wide receiver Cole Beasley have engaged in discussions about a contract extension that would keep Beasley under team control for multiple seasons, league sources tell Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The SMU product is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.

Beasley, who turns 26 in April, is hardly the most notable Cowboys wideout on an expiring contract, but he has developed into one of Tony Romo‘s more reliable targets over the last couple seasons. In 2014, Beasley set career highs with 420 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while totaling 37 receptions.

When I previewed the free agent market for wide receivers earlier this month, I grouped Beasley in with a handful of RFA wideouts that I thought were good bets to receive one-year tenders from their current clubs. Tendering Beasley would mean making him a one-year offer worth in the neighborhood of at least $1.5MM, depending on where the salary cap lands. However, it sounds like the Cowboys are trying to lock him up for additional years, which would give the young receiver some security and would ensure that no rival suitors try to lure him out of Dallas.

For comparison’s sake, Lance Moore had just put up similar numbers to Beasley’s 2014 output when he entered free agency last winter, and he inked a two-year, $3MM deal. Moore has a more impressive track record than Beasley, but less upside, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cowboys wideout matched or exceeded that deal. However, I’m skeptical that Dallas would go too much higher, given the team’s other priorities in free agency and a deep 2015 class of draft-eligible wideouts.

Rams Cut Kendall Langford

February 26th, 2015 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing his starting job to standout rookie Aaron Donald this past season, Kendall Langford has now lost his spot on the Rams’ roster. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link), the Rams have released Langford, making him an unrestricted free agent a year before his contract was set to expire.

Langford, who turned 29 last month, inked a four-year, $22MM deal with the Rams in 2012 after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Dolphins. The former third-round pick started all 32 games for the Rams during his first two seasons in St. Louis, but his grip on the starting defensive tackle job became tenuous after the club drafted Donald in the first round in 2014.

After starting the first four games of the season, Langford took a back seat to Donald, who had such a strong rookie campaign that Pro Football Focus’ grades ranked him first among DTs, just ahead of Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh (subscription required). While Langford wasn’t bad, his upcoming $7MM cap hit for 2015 – combined with Donald’s emergence – made it easy for the Rams to decide to cut him. The team will clear his $6MM base salary from its ’15 books, leaving just $1MM in dead money on the cap.

Langford, who racked up 49 tackles and five sacks as a starter in 2013, figures to draw interest around the league in advance of this year’s free agent period.

Greg Hardy To Seek Immediate Reinstatement

February 26th, 2015 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

2:51pm: According to Person (Twitter links), NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy responded with the following statement: “He hasn’t been disciplined. There is nothing for him to seek reinstatement from at this point.” As I noted below, since the league is still reviewing Hardy’s case, no suspension has been announced yet, whereas Peterson’s quest for reinstatement came after he had served his six-game suspension. So while Hardy could try to push for an expedited ruling, his case isn’t quite at the same point as Peterson’s was.

1:34pm: In the wake of a court’s ruling to overrule an NFL arbitrator’s decision in Adrian Peterson‘s case, embattled Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will seek immediate reinstatement, a league source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). For now, Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list as the league completes its review of the domestic violence charges against Hardy that were dismissed in court several weeks ago.

In rejecting arbitrator Harold Henderson’s decision in the Peterson case today, Judge David Doty ruled that the NFL was improperly applying its new personal conduct policy to a case that was already in progress prior to the introduction of that policy. If the old policy should have been applied to Peterson, that should be true for Hardy as well, meaning the Carolina pass rusher wouldn’t necessary be subject to a six-game suspension (or more) for his alleged off-field actions.

Of course, even if Hardy’s case was being evaluated using the league’s old policy, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the defensive end will avoid discipline of any kind — he could still face a suspension. However, pushing for immediate reinstatement may accelerate the NFL’s decision-making process, which could mean that Hardy’s situation would at least be resolved by the time he’s eligible to hit the open market next month.

Even if he were hit with a two-game ban, which was the standard in the league’s old conduct policy, Hardy and his potential suitors could go into the free agent period knowing exactly when he’ll return to the field. That would help bring the market for his services into focus.

Cardinals Re-Sign Bradley Sowell

February 26th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cardinals have locked up a reserve offensive lineman, keeping him off the free agent market, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team inked Bradley Sowell to a one-year deal. Sowell had been eligible for restricted free agency, so after playing out the 2015 season, he’ll have the chance to become an unrestricted free agent next year.

Sowell, 25, was forced into a starting role during the 2013 season, and struggled with the added responsibility, ranking as the worst qualified tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). After the Cardinals signed Jared Veldheer in free agency last March, Sowell reverted a reserve role in 2014 — his offensive snap count dropped from 842 in ’13 to zero in ’14.

Taking into account Sowell’s struggles as a regular, and his lack of playing time in 2014, I would guess that the Cardinals signed the offensive lineman for less than the restricted free agent tender would have been worth. However, financial terms of the agreement aren’t yet known.

In addition to locking up Sowell for another season, the Cards also confirmed the signing of free agent cornerback Damond Smith, per Urban. That deal was previously reported.

Chiefs Release Anthony Fasano

February 26th, 2015 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

1:56pm: The Chiefs have formally announced the release of Fasano, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).

12:49pm: Veteran tight end Anthony Fasano will be in the market for a new NFL home later today, according to Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network. Darlington reports (via Twitter) that the Chiefs are parting ways with Fasano, releasing him two years before his contract was set to expire.

Fasano, 30, was significantly out-targeted by the 25-year-old Travis Kelce (87 to 36) in 2014, and caught just 25 balls to Kelce’s 67. Despite not being as involved in Kansas City’s passing game, Fasano logged about the same number of offensive snaps as the sophomore tight end, frequently serving as a blocker on both run and pass plays. Still, his grades as a blocker weren’t great, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he had been set to count for $4.2MM+ on the Chiefs’ cap in 2015.

By releasing Fasano, Kansas City will create nearly $2MM in cap savings, slicing the veteran’s 2015 cap number to just $2.25MM in dead money. Designating Fasano as a post-June 1 cut would open up $1MM+ more in cap room, but that probably won’t be necessary. The move creates a little more flexibility for the Chiefs as they explore the possibility of bringing back Justin Houston and other free-agents-to-be.

As for Fasano, once the move becomes official, he’ll immediately be free to sign with a new club without having to pass through waivers.