Matt White

East Rumors: Eagles, Barr, Johnson, Cowboys

Chad Ochocinco Johnson, who last lined up in the NFL for the Patriots, is headed north of the border to join up with the Montreal Alouettes. Johnson, who totaled 766 receptions for more than 11,000 yards and 67 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons, was signed by the Dolphins in 2012, but was released that summer following his arrest due to a domestic incident. The 36-year-old recently worked out for the Alouettes and GM Jim Popp indicated over the weekend that talks between the two sides had “escalated.” Here’s the latest out of the AFC and NFC East..

  • The Eagles‘ biggest need at this stage of the offseason is finding a pass-rusher and the best case scenario would be UCLA’s Anthony Barr falling to No. 22, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Barr was considered a likely top-10 pick earlier in the draft process, but Berman hears that it’s conceivable that the former Bruin could slip into the 20s. Meanwhile, the depth of the wide receiver position in this year’s class has been well documented and it’s not a stretch to say the Eagles will potentially come out of the draft with two wideouts.
  • With Chris Johnson‘s speed, the Jets offense can be a whole different animal, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Johnson isn’t a panacea for offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s offense, Mehta writes, but he still possesses the ability to turn garbage into gold in open spaces.
  • The Cowboys hosted about 50 prospects at Dallas Day, including four quarterbacks: North Texas’ Derek Thompson, SMU’s Garrett Gilbert, Missouri’s James Franklin, and TCU’s Casey Pachall, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com. Missouri’s Donovan Bonner and Matt White were also in attendance, tweets Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram.