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AFC Pre-Draft Visits: Bills, Patriots, Titans

April 4th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Bills are hosting a few pre-draft visits today, writes Chris Brown of BufalloBills.com. North Carolina’s star tight end Eric Ebron could be in play for the team in the first round. The Bills are also meeting with defensive end Scott Crichton of Oregon State and LSU’s bruising running back Jeremy Hill. Brown writes that Crichton is projected as a second-round pick and Hill as a mid-round selection.

Here are some other players visiting with AFC teams:

  • The Patriots are bringing in Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig for their local pro day, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. The team already hosted the top quarterback talents, who they are unlikely to draft, but Retig would more likely be a late-round pick. Retig will be able to workout with the team, because he is part of a local visit.
  • Another late-round quarterback, Brock Jensen of North Dakota State, has visits scheduled with both the Browns and the Bengals, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).
  • The Steelers will be hosting visits from Minnesota safety Brock Vereen, and South Carolina wide receiver Bruce Ellington, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Wilson also reports that Titans hosted Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett. Jernigan is expected to be a first-round pick.
  • Wide receiver Eric Thomas of Troy University has a visit with the Colts, according to Wilson (via Twitter).

Steelers Sign Darrius Heyward-Bey

April 4th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 12:33pm: Heyward-Bey’s contract is a minimum salary benefit deal with a $65K signing bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

WEDNESDAY, 12:24pm: Former seventh overall pick Darrius Heyward-Bey has agreed to terms with the Steelers, who announced today that they have signed the free agent wideout to a one-year contract (Twitter link).

Heyward-Bey, 27, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders after the team grabbed him with its 2009 first-round pick. However, despite flashing some promise in Oakland, the Maryland product didn’t put up a 1,000-yard season during his stint with the team and scored just 11 total touchdowns in four years. Heyward-Bey joined the Colts in 2013, but didn’t make a huge impression in Indianapolis either, grabbing 29 passes for 309 yards and a TD.

For the Steelers, Heyward-Bey will have an opportunity to help fill the holes left by departing free agents Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. Pittsburgh also inked Lance Moore to a deal to help complement No. 1 receiver Antonio Brown.

Draft Notes: 49ers, Patriots, Verrett

April 2nd, 2014 at 9:12pm CST by Matt Feminis

At the beginning of the offseason, it was thought the 49ers might target a receiver in the first round, but with the draft a month away, cornerback has become the team’s top draft need, writes Doug Williams of NBC Bay Area.

In other draft prospect news…

  • TCU cornerback Jason Verrett has visits lined up with the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals, according to Fox’s Alex Marvez (via Twitter). All three teams value speed, athleticism and man-coverage skills. Verrett boasts sub-4.4 speed and outstanding leaping ability.
  • Drafting Aaron Dobson in the second round last year won’t preclude the Patriots from taking a receiver in the first round this year, writes NESN’s Doug Kyed, who lists five prospects who would be good fits.
  • When asked about the likelihood of a quarterback run in the draft’s top ten picks (consequently pushing down highly regarded prospects at positions of need), Lions GM Martin Mayhew acknowledged momentum might be slowing on that scenario. “I think (if) you said that a month ago, everybody would have signed off on that,” Mayhew told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But if you say that now, you don’t know how it’s going to go with the quarterbacks.”
  • Middle Tennessee State guard Josh Walker worked out for the Ravens and will also work out for the Saints and Colts, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. A potential late-round pick, Walker was not invited to the Combine.

Draft Updates: Quarterbacks, Mack, Tuitt

April 2nd, 2014 at 6:07pm CST by Matt Feminis

Here’s a handful of early-evening draft notes:

  • Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will visit the Titans later this month, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean (via Twitter).
  • The Browns will host a handful of quarterback prospects this week, including Blake Bortles (Central Florida, today), Derek Carr (Fresno State), Garoppolo, Tom Savage (Pittsburgh) and Keith Wenning (Ball State), according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (via Twitter), who says Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel will be in Cleveland later this month.
  • Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, regarded as an elite defensive prospect, worked out for the Falcons today, per NFL.com’s Gil Brandt (via Twitter).
  • Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt worked out for the Rams on Tuesday, and is scheduled to work out for the Steelers and Patriots this week, according to Brandt (via Twitter).
  • The Bears, in desperate need of professional starting safeties, hosted Washington State’s Deone Bucannon, according to ESPNChicago.com’s Jeff Dickerson.
  • Several of the Rams’ 30 allotted pre-draft visits are taking place this week, according to ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner, who mentions Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert, Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald in addition to those reported previously.

AFC Rumors: Dolphins, Jets, Clowney, Texans

April 2nd, 2014 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As they continue attempting to fortify their offensive line, the Dolphins are hosting 25-year-old free agent Jason Fox for a visit, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. According to Salguero, if the team were to sign Fox, who reportedly worked out for the Chiefs earlier this week, the former Lion would be viewed as a depth piece with a chance to earn a larger role, not the Dolphins’ starter at right tackle.

Here’s more on another free agent paying a visit to Miami, as well as a few other notes from around the AFC:

  • The Dolphins will also host free agent wideout Lestar Jean for a visit and workout, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Jean met with the Panthers last month, but left Carolina without a deal.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) still expects the Titans to release Chris Johnson this week. If and when that happens, look for the Jets to “pounce” on the veteran running back, says La Canfora.
  • Asked about Jadeveon Clowney at South Carolina’s Pro Day today, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien confirmed that his club met with Clowney last night, tweets James Palmer of CSNHouston.com. However, according to O’Brien, the Texans’ No. 1 pick is still “wide open” (Twitter link via Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle).
  • Before he signed with the Raiders, Maurice Jones-Drew was strongly considering the Patriots and Steelers as well, as he said today on Mad Dog Sports Radio (Twitter link).
  • In a pair of tweets, Aaron Wilson provides details on Dimitri Patterson‘s one-year, $3MM deal with the Jets, which includes a $1MM signing bonus, and C.J. Wilson‘s one-year, minimum-salary benefit contract with the Raiders.

Draft Notes: Bridgewater, Amaro, Steelers

April 2nd, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Word broke on Tuesday that Johnny Manziel would be visiting the Patriots today, a few days after the club met with Blake Bortles in Orlando. It shouldn’t be too surprising then that Teddy Bridgewater is also visiting the team, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As we noted yesterday, the Pats are likely just doing due diligence on the top players in this year’s quarterback class, but those meetings are still worth keeping an eye on.

Here’s more on pre-draft visits, with May 8 just over five weeks away:

  • Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro, who is said to be drawing interest from the Jets, is working out for the Falcons today, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • The Steelers are hosting a pair of defenders today, in Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard and Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt, tweets Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • Washington State safety Deone Bucannon visited the Lions today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along word of a pair of visits, reporting that Sam Houston State running back Timothy Flanders will meet with the Saints, while Middle Tennessee State cornerback Sammy Seamster has a visit on tap with the Chiefs.

Notes On Visits: Reynolds, Verrett, Smallwood

April 1st, 2014 at 10:47pm CST by Rory Parks

Free agent guard Garrett Reynolds is scheduled to meet with the Titans on Wednesday, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Reynolds, selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, appeared in 15 games for Atlanta last season and started 10 of them. He only played in seven games in 2012 (starting six of them), so he has accumulated about a full season’s worth of snaps over the course of the past two years. Over that time, however, he has earned positive grades for his play, so this would mark a quality, low-cost signing should Tennessee pull the trigger.

Our Luke Adams put Reynolds in the third tier of free agent guards last month but specifically mentioned him as a potentially valuable asset for a team not looking to pay big money at the position.

Now for some quick notes on other visits:

  • Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 has compiled a list that will continue to be updated of the prospects the Bills are bringing in to team facilities for official visits. This list might be particularly relevant for Bills fans; Buscaglia tweets that Buffalo’s first round pick in each of the last four years visited Orchard Park prior to the draft.
  • One of the top corners in this year’s draft, TCU’s Jason Verrett, will be visiting the Steelers, Jets, and Cardinals in the coming weeks, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • Although he did not play at a big-time football program, UConn linebacker Yawin Smallwood was a bit-time playmaker for the Huskies. Despite tweaking his hamstring at the combine, Smallwood has a number of visits lined up, according to Ross Jones of FOX Sports. He will meet with the Falcons later this week.

FA Visits: Heyward-Bey, Wright, Ayers, Coleman

April 1st, 2014 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard this afternoon that veteran cornerback Champ Bailey is in New Orleans to meet with the Saints, but Bailey’s trip to Louisiana isn’t the only free agent visit that has been reported today. Let’s round up a few more….

  • Former top-10 pick Darrius Heyward-Bey is scheduled to visit the Steelers on Wednesday, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The former Raider grabbed 29 balls last season for the Colts.
  • Free agent safety Major Wright will meet with his old head coach Lovie Smith as he visits the Buccaneers today and tomorrow, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Wright himself tweeted that he’s looking forward to seeing “familiar old faces in Tampa,” while Rapoport adds that the Bucs will look to sign the 25-year-old before he leaves town.
  • Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange passes along word of a pair of New York free agent visits, tweeting that the Giants hosted defensive end Robert Ayers and safety Kurt Coleman met with the Jets. Ayers was linked to the Giants earlier in the offseason.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, Blount

April 1st, 2014 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Danieal Manning said signing with the Cowboys “would be fun,” since he grew up rooting for them. However, the free agent safety added that a team’s direction and opportunity to win will be determining factors in his decision on where to sign (Twitter links). That’s not to say that Dallas should be ruled out as a suitor, but it makes sense that Manning’s first two visits are to a pair of AFC playoff teams. Last night, we heard about his scheduled meeting with the Bengals, and today during his SiriusXM appearance, he confirmed that a visit to the Chiefs is also on tap (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the AFC as the league’s free agent period enters its fourth week:

  • Mike Reiss (Twitter link) passes along word from ESPN.com colleague John Clayton that free agent defensive end Will Smith is visiting the Patriots today. Smith, who was cut by the Saints earlier this offseason, indicated shortly after his release that he’d be open to playing in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense.
  • Speaking to WBEN in Buffalo, billionaire Donald Trump confirmed that he has been approached about the possibility of joining an investment group in a bid to buy the Bills. Suggesting that he’ll “take a look” at the possibility, Trump stressed that he wants to see the franchise remain in Buffalo, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.
  • LeGarrette Blount’s new two-year deal with the Steelers includes a $150K incentive for reaching 800 yards rushing in 2014, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Steelers Sign Brice McCain

April 1st, 2014 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

1:19pm: McCain’s contract with the Steelers is a minimum salary benefit deal with a $65K signing bonus, so it’ll count for $635K against the team’s cap, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

12:00pm: The Steelers have signed free agent cornerback Brice McCain, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Scott Brown reported earlier today (via Twitter) that McCain, who was cut by Houston last month, was visiting Pittsburgh.

McCain, who grabbed one interception and defended seven passes for the Texans in 2013, had the dubious distinction of ranking dead-last among 110 qualified cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). While he was solid against the run and avoided taking penalties, McCain ranked as the league’s worst cover corner by a wide margin, according to PFF.

Nonetheless, the Steelers saw enough in the 27-year-old that they liked to bring him aboard. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but it’ll likely be a minimum salary deal.

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