Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
New England Patriots
Seattle Seahawks
Here are the details on a few recently-signed contracts:
Several weeks after his Raiders deal fell through, Eli Apple secured another free agency agreement. The Panthers announced Thursday they signed the veteran cornerback.
Apple and the Panthers agreed to a one-year deal, according to Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). This will help fill the void James Bradberry created when he defected to the Giants in March. A former Giants first-round pick, Apple will have a clear track to a starting job with the Panthers.
During one of the most defense-heavy drafts in NFL history, Carolina did select two corners. But the team did not address this position until the fourth round. Prior to Apple, the Panthers had not made a notable free agent investment at corner this offseason, either. Pro Football Focus graded none of Carolina’s incumbent corners higher than 89th at the position last season. Donte Jackson, a 2018 second-rounder, resides as the Panthers’ top cornerback holdover. Bradberry had served as Carolina’s No. 1 corner throughout his career.
Apple, 24, agreed to a one-year, $6MM Raiders pact in March. But on April 2, the former Ohio State standout returned to free agency. This takes one of free agency’s top corners off the market, though the likes of Logan Ryan and Darqueze Dennard remain unsigned.
The Giants traded Apple to the Saints during the 2018 season, and he delivered more stable work in New Orleans after a rocky tenure in New York. Apple started 25 games for the Saints. He will follow Teddy Bridgewater east to be part of Matt Rhule‘s rebuild effort.
The Raiders agreed to a one-year, $6MM deal with cornerback Eli Apple during the first wave of the free agent period, but that agreement has since fallen through, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
While Schefter doesn’t indicate exactly why Apple’s deal with Las Vegas is being nixed, Apple does have a recent injury history that theoretically could have played a role. An ankle injury forced the 24-year-old to miss the Saints’ final regular season game and Divisional Round contest against the Vikings. Given the COVID-19 crisis, players aren’t able to conduct normal physicals with team medical staffs, so it’s possible Apple’s ankle issue was a factor in the undoing of his pact.
Apple, a first-round pick in the 2016 draft, spent the first two years and change of his career with the Giants before being dealt to New Orleans ahead of the 2018 trade deadline. He went on to start 20 total games with the Saints, and his performance was something close to average, as Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 61 corner among 112 qualifiers in 2019.
Apple immediately becomes one of the best cornerbacks available on the open market, while the Raiders are now once again hunting for a new defensive back to play alongside fellow corners Trayvon Mullen and Nevin Lawson. Aside from Apple, other free agent options include Darqueze Dennard (who, like Apple, had an agreed-to deal canceled), Dre Kirkpatrick, Aqib Talib, Johnathan Joseph, and Ross Cockrell.
Let’s take a closer look at the details of a few recently-signed free agent contracts:
The Raiders continue to spend money revamping their defense. Las Vegas has agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Eli Apple, Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune tweets.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have been handing out big contracts left and right to defenders, already signing defensive end Carl Nassib, linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, and safety Jeff Heath. We also heard that the Raiders offered more money for corner Byron Jones than the Dolphins did before Miami signed him to his record-breaking contract, so they’ve certainly been bold.
The Raiders have been low on talent on that side of the ball during Gruden’s first two years back coaching the team, but this flurry of activity is still wild. They’ve now essentially added a player at every defensive position, and Paul Guenther’s unit is going to look entirely different when they take the field at their new stadium for the first time.
Apple was drafted tenth overall by the Giants back in 2016, and things didn’t go smoothly in New York. Although he flashed talent his tenure there was strained from the start, and he frequently clashed with teammates and coaches over a perceived lack of effort on his end. Eventually he was traded to the Saints for fourth and seventh-round picks midway through the 2018 campaign.
The change of scenery seemed to do him some good, and he developed into a somewhat consistent starter opposite Marshon Lattimore in New Orleans. Apple was only 20 when he was drafted and is still only 24, so he should have more room to grow. He’ll now be a key piece of a very young and intriguing Raiders secondary that includes last year’s early picks Trayvon Mullen and Johnathan Abram.
The latest injury updates from around the league:
This will be a prove-it year for cornerback Eli Apple. The Saints will not exercise the former first-round pick’s option for 2020, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Saints had until Friday to exercise the 2020 option for Apple, which would have paid him $13.7MM (guaranteed for injury only) in the additional season. Given that Apple has missed time in the past, the extra year would have been a bit of a gamble.
Still, Apple has given the Saints reason to believe in his abilities. After coming over from the Giants in a midseason trade, the 23-year-old (24 in August) logged two interceptions and started in all ten of his games in New Orleans. Apple graded out as just the No. 64 ranked corner in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, but it’s clear that the change of scenery has helped him.
For now, Apple will earn just $2.5MM in base pay for 2019, making him a solid value as a starter. If he takes another step forward in 2019, a more lucrative deal could be in his future.
Since we learned that Cardinals defensive back Patrick Peterson asked for a trade, we’ve heard that both the Eagles and Saints have inquired on the Pro Bowl cornerback. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News has a new name to add to the list of suitors: the Jets. The reporter tweets that the Jets reached out to the Cardinals about Peterson, but New York isn’t expected to pull off a trade.
There’s obviously plenty to like about the veteran, who has made it to seven-straight Pro Bowls. In seven games this season, the 28-year-old has compiled 35 tackles, three passes defended, two interceptions, and one sack. Pro Football Focus ranks Peterson fourth among 112 eligible cornerbacks.
On the flip side, the Jets may not need to overpay for the cornerback, as Pro Football Focus has been fond of Morris Claiborne and Trumaine Johnson‘s performance this season (along with top backup Darryl Roberts).
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…
The Giants traded cornerback Eli Apple to the Saints, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In return, the Giants will receive a 2019 fourth-round pick in 2019 and a seventh-round pick in 2020. 
The Saints secondary now features three former Ohio State stars in Marshon Lattimore (2017 first-round cornerbacks), Apple (2016 first round cornerback) and Vonn Bell (2016 second-round safety).
The third-year cornerback was inconsistent in his first two NFL seasons, but has been playing a bit better in 2018. In his five games (all starts), Apple has five pass deflections, one forced fumble, and 22 total tackles. On the flipside, the numbers at Pro Football Focus indicate that his performance has been roughly comparable to last year. Apple is ranked as PFF’s No. 55 cornerback through seven weeks.
Many expected the Saints to explore a trade for Patrick Peterson, but that would have required a much greater expenditure of draft capital. The Saints don’t have much to offer in that regard anyway after sacrificing their 2019 first-round pick in the Marcus Davenport deal and their 2019 third-rounder in the Teddy Bridgewater trade.
In Apple, the Saints get a former No. 10 overall pick who could be a contributor with the right direction. The Giants, meanwhile, get to unload an unwanted salary over the next two years while adding assets to fuel their rebuild. With that in mind, the Giants probably aren’t done dealing and could make more moves between now and the Mischief Night deadline.