HEADLINES

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.

Jaguars Release Will Blackmon

February 26th, 2015 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

1:48pm: The Jaguars have officially released Blackmon, the team announced this afternoon in a press release.

8:11am: Although the move isn’t yet official, the Jaguars will be cutting veteran defensive back Will Blackmon from their roster, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Garafolo notes that Jacksonville intends to go younger in the secondary, adding that the 30-year-old Blackmon shouldn’t have trouble finding work elsewhere.

Blackmon, who has spent the last two seasons with the Jaguars, has been one of the top three cornerbacks for the team during his time in Jacksonville, starting 12 of 23 games. His 2014 campaign was cut short by a broken finger, which landed him on the injured reserve list with about two months left in the season.

While the Jags are moving in a younger direction at cornerback, led by 2013 draftees Dwayne Gratz and Demetrius McCray, the team’s willingness to cut Blackmon may suggest that they’re close to reaching a deal to retain Alan Ball as the club’s token veteran corner, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Like Blackmon, Ball finished the 2014 season on injured reserve — if he’s not re-signed, he’ll hit the open market next month.

Blackmon’s cap hit for 2015 had been just $945K, and releasing him will leave $25K in dead money on the Jags’ cap. While Jacksonville clears $920K from its books with the move, the actual amount of cap room created will be less than that, since Blackmon will be replaced in the team’s top 51 salaries by a minimum-salary player. Of course, armed with over $60MM in projected cap space, that’s not a big concern for the Jags.

East Notes: McCown, Dez, Parnell, Bush

February 26th, 2015 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh McCown‘s free agent tour appears to have come to an end, and after drawing interest from the Bills, Jets, Bears, and Browns, the veteran quarterback has engaged in contract discussions with Buffalo, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Carucci cautions that it’s not known how many other teams are talking to McCown about a potential contract, or if the Bills are the favorites to land him, but the club is very much in the hunt, and the signal-caller may finalize his new deal – with Buffalo or another club – by Friday.

For what it’s worth, Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 notes (via Twitter) that the Bills view McCown as an upgrade over Kyle Orton, and that the former Buccaneer is the club’s preferred target in this free agent class. While we wait to find out whether a deal with the Bills materializes as a result of Buffalo’s interest in McCown, let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFL’s two East divisions….

  • As Monday’s franchise tag deadline nears, the rumors surrounding Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant continued to swirl today. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com passed along word – and a police report – about an incident that took place outside of a Walmart in Lancaster, Texas; Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk attempted to break down what this new info means; and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report suggested that sources close to Bryant believe the alleged video of that Walmart incident does, in fact, exist.
  • Cowboys tackle Jermey Parnell should be a popular free agent next month, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com and Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter links). When I examined the free agent market for offensive tackles earlier in February, I singled out Parnell as a player who hasn’t seen much action as a reserve in Dallas, but pointed out that he has been very good when he has played.
  • In response to the Lions’ release of Reggie Bush, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com explores whether the Patriots would be interested, and how Bush’s availability may affect the market for free-agent-to-be Shane Vereen.
  • Nick Powell of NJ.com takes a look at whether or not the Giants will have interest in Bush, concluding that the former USC star could fit as a complement in the backfield for Rashad Jennings, particularly since Tom Coughlin is fond of veteran players.

Mike Wallace Not Interested In Restructure

February 26th, 2015 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins are reportedly exploring the possibility of trading Mike Wallace, but all options appear to be in play for the veteran wide receiver, meaning the team could also ultimately decide to keep him or to cut him. However, Wallace doesn’t seem to be interested in one potential solution, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who hears from sources that the wideout has told the team he’s not interested in restructuring the final three years of his contract.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald also weighed in on the Wallace situation this morning, and noted that he has “severe doubts” Wallace would accept a pay cut, which makes sense. If he were to refuse a pay cut and the Dolphins were forced to cut him, Wallace – who is still just 28 years old – could likely do well on the open market. It’s a little curious that he wouldn’t be open to a simple restructure though. Such a move would simply move money around, ensuring that Wallace receives more up front in the form of a signing bonus, rather than in 2015 base salary, so he wouldn’t be taking a pay cut in that scenario.

Still, as Kelly points out, the former Steeler has expressed discomfort with the conservative nature of the Dolphins’ offense, so it’s possible he’s just interested in a change of scenery. After averaging nearly 1,100 receiving yards and nine touchdowns per season during his final three years in Pittsburgh, Wallace has averaged less than 900 yards and eight TDs in his two seasons catching balls from Ryan Tannehill.

With Wallace owed a $3MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year, the Dolphins figure to make their decision on the receiver one way or the other within the next couple weeks. Salguero suggests that it’s hard to imagine the two sides working something out and Wallace wearing a Dolphins jersey in Week 1 of the 2015 season, so it looks likely that the two sides will part ways.

If Miami can’t find a trade partner, that means the club will cut Wallace, absorbing the $9.6MM in dead money left on his deal. Salguero notes that the team would likely designate the 28-year-old a post-June 1 cut, in which case that $9.6MM would be split up over two years — $5.2MM in 2015 and $4.4MM in 2016.

For his part, new Dolphins head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum declined to comment earlier this morning on the trade rumors surrounding Wallace (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio).

James Casey Visiting Several Teams

February 26th, 2015 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

10:02pm: Casey’s visit with the Broncos concluded without a contract, according to the Denver Post’s Mike Klis. He will move on to his other summits.

THURSDAY, 11:11am: Caplan (via Twitter) adds a few more clubs to Casey’s list of suitors, reporting that the tight end also has visits scheduled with the Jaguars, the Bengals, and Washington.

WEDNESDAY, 8:07am: After meeting with the Cardinals and Broncos, Casey will move on to visit the Titans and Browns, according to Caplan (via Twitter). Caplan adds (via Twitter) that at least eight teams have requested to have Casey in for a visit, as clubs value his positional versatility and recognize that 2015’s tight end draft class is weak.

MONDAY, 3:48pm: Tight end James Casey got a head start on the 2015 free agent market last week when the Eagles released him from his contract, and he’s taking full advantage of that. According to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 (Twitter link), Casey is scheduled to visit the Cardinals this week. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com confirms Jurecki’s report and adds (via Twitter) that two or three other teams would also like to bring in Casey, who is scheduled to meet with the Broncos after his sitdown with the Cards.

Casey, 30, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Texans, parlaying a solid 2012 season into a three-year, $12MM deal with the Eagles. Although he caught 34 balls during his final year in Houston, Casey wasn’t used as a pass-catcher in Philadelphia, having totaled just six receptions on nine targets in two seasons with the team. He was released last week without any discussions about taking a pay cut, and is expected to seek out a situation where he’ll have a larger role than he did with the Eagles.

In 2014, the Cardinals relied primarily on John Carlson and Rob Housler at tight end, so it makes sense that the club would target a player like Casey. Housler is eligible for unrestricted free agency next month, and Carlson didn’t have a great year — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 65th out of 67 qualified TEs, grading him poorly as a pass catcher, pass blocker, and run blocker.

The Broncos would be a logical fit for Casey as well, since Julius Thomas is expected to land elsewhere as a free agent and Virgil Green‘s contract is also expiring.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Michael Roos Announces Retirement

February 26th, 2015 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

One of the top offensive tackles on the free agent market has decided to retire rather than pursuing a new NFL contract. Longtime Titans offensive lineman Michael Roos announced today on Instagram that he’ll call it a career after spending 10 years as an NFL player.

“I’m excited to begin the rest of my life, and I am grateful to do so now, while I am fully healthy,” Roos wrote in a statement in which he thanked his coaches and teammates. “Although I don’t know what adventure the future holds, I know there will be family, friends, travel, whiskey, cigars and beer. All a man can ask for, and more. Thank you Titans fans for your support all these years.”

Roos, 32, was remarkably durable during his time with the Titans until a knee injury prematurely ended his final season in the team this past October. Prior to this season, the former second-round pick had started all but one game over the course of nine years in Tennessee, almost exclusively at left tackle.

Since the end of the regular season, the Titans have now seen their two highest-paid tackles leave the team — in addition to Roos retiring, Michael Oher was cut by the club earlier this month. While the position figures to be an area Tennessee will target in either free agency or the draft, the team does have an in-house replacement for Roos lined up, as last year’s first-round pick Taylor Lewan, looks like a good bet to become the Titans’ permanent left tackle.

Free Agent Market For Inside Linebackers

February 26th, 2015 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

Our list of 2015 free agents provides a comprehensive position-by-position breakdown of which players are eligible to hit the open market this year. However, that list of names doesn’t include much context or additional information about those players. So, with March’s free agent period fast approaching, we’ll be taking a closer look this month at the free agent market for each position. Today, we’ll turn our attention to inside linebackers. Let’s dive in….

Top unrestricted FAs:

A year after Karlos Dansby landed the biggest contract of any free agent inside linebacker, signing for four years and $24MM, no member of this year’s class of FA ILBs looks poised to match or exceed those numbers. Harris, who is coming off a four-year pact that averaged $9MM per year, is perhaps the most consistent and reliable player here, having not missed a start during those four seasons. However, he turned 31 last month, meaning another huge payday is probably out of the question.

Like Harris, Hawk has been a reliable piece in the middle of his team’s defense for several years, but both players look poised to join new clubs in 2015. Hawk has already been set free by the Packers, released on Wednesday, while Harris is probably due for a change of scenery after the departure of Rex Ryan from the Jets — the veteran linebacker is said to be prioritizing contending teams, and could accept a little less money in the right situation.

While Harris and Hawk are the grizzled veterans of this group, there are other intriguing options available. Foster and Irving are both in their mid-20s, and would be a nice Plan B for any team that targets and misses out on a player like Harris. McClain might fit that bill as well, though even after a strong season in Dallas, the former Raider still has some red flags — any potential suitor will have to consider McClain’s three failed drug tests when deciding what sort of investment to make.

The last member of this top tier is Spikes, who likely won’t be relied upon as a three-down player. Still, his ability to stop the run is valuable, and was enough to place him 13th among 60 qualified inside linebackers in 2014, per Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required).

Other unrestricted options:

Amongst a list primarily made up of special teams contributors and reserve defenders, there are some names worth monitoring here. Brinkley, Dent, and Gachkar all received starts in 2014, and held their own — particularly Brinkley, who was a top-10 inside linebacker against the run, per PFF.

No player in this group appeared in more defensive snaps (1,028) than Mauga, who started every game for the Chiefs. Although he struggled against the run, Mauga wasn’t a detriment to the unit in pass coverage, and got after the quarterback every now and then as well. Lattimore, Maualuga, Matthews, and Williams all logged at least part-time snaps for their respective clubs too, and provided decent enough production.

One more player worth mentioning here is Henderson. As we saw with McClain, it’s possible for a player with off-the-field troubles to return after a season away from the game and have a positive impact on the field. But considering how Henderson’s legal issues piled up a year ago, it’s also possible he may not play another NFL regular season game. He’ll be looking for a team to give him a shot in camp this summer, and is worth keeping an eye on.

Restricted FAs:

The RFA names for most positions we’ve examined so far aren’t too notable, but the ones in this group are an exception. Freeman and Robertson have developed into starters and key pieces for their respective teams, and should certainly be tendered one-year offers, perhaps at a first- or second-round rate. Both the Colts and Browns have plenty of cap space to spare, so I wouldn’t expect to see either player switch teams this winter.

Even Tarpinian, who isn’t a defensive regular in Houston, has some value as a special teams ace for the Texans. Whether his contributions are worthy of an RFA tender remains to be seen, but his 12 special teams tackles in 2014 will ensure he draws interest if he reaches the open market.

Previous looks at the 2015 free agent market:

West Notes: Chargers, Raiders, V. Davis

February 26th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

As the West Coast wakes up on this Thursday morning, let’s take a look at a few items out of the NFL’s two West divisions….

  • Free agent running back Reggie Bush likely doesn’t make sense for the Chargers, according to Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego. At running back the Chargers already employ a pass-catching specialist in Danny Woodhead, who caught 76 passes from Philip Rivers in 2013. San Diego’s focus instead will probably be on finding a back with power, rather than one that has a similar skill set to Woodhead.
  • Don’t tell that to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, who feels that Bush could reinvent himself with the Chargers. Williams doesn’t see Bush as an every-down back at this point in his career, but he could see him thriving in a role where he gets 10 touches a game on jet sweeps, reverses, bubble screens, and slants from the slot.
  • The Chargers‘ signing of King Dunlap to a four-year contract last week wasn’t without significant risk, but it would have been a greater risk for both sides if they parted ways, Krasovic writes for the Union-Tribune. The Bolts had no other left tackle that they could have trusted to protect Rivers and losing Dunlap would have meant duking it out on a seller’s free-agent market.
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com wonders if LeSean McCoy and a package of picks would be worth the Raiders‘ No. 4 pick. At 26 years old, McCoy is still effective and had a combined 2,926 rushing yards over the past two years. On top of that, new Oakland offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave was the quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia last season and he wants to run a fast-paced, no-huddle offense as a base.
  • After both Bush and A.J. Hawk were cut yesterday, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is one of just two top-10 picks from the 2006 draft class to remain on his original team, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com writes. The two-time Pro Bowl tight end is entering the final year of a contract that is scheduled to pay him $4.95MM — that would normally make him a prime extension candidate, but Davis is also coming off the worst season of his NFL career, so his contract situation will be interesting to monitor.
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