HEADLINES

Michael Roberts

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Richardson, Redskins, Bucs, Lions

February 19th, 2018 at 8:32pm CST by Micah Powell

With teams officially able to place the franchise tag on players beginning tomorrow, there is growing speculation that the Seahawks will use the option on defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

Condotta cited a number of league insiders who believe the team is likely to use the tag due to the Seahawks paying a steep price to acquire him leading up to the 2017 season. Shortly before the 2017 campaign kicked off, Seattle sent wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and a second-round pick to the Jets in exchange for the fifth-year lineman.

With the Seahawks likely to have about $14 MM in cap space this offseason, they would likely need to rework some deals or extensions in order to afford the $14.5 MM tag the defensive tackle would command. In the piece, Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly said Richardson could be a transition-tag candidate, which would cost the Seahawks roughly $11.7 MM.

If the team doesn’t use the tag, it is likely to lose out on the impact defensive tackle. In January, it was reported the Richardson has a soft spot for the Jets and could land back with his former team.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The Redskins are interested in re-signing receiver Ryan Grant, according to ESPN’s John Keim. In 2017, Grant posted career highs with 45 receptions for 573 yards and four touchdowns. Keim notes the team is expected to look for a speed wideout to pair with Josh Doctson on the outside. If the team brought back Grant, that would essentially relegate him to fourth-wideout duties.
  • The Lions plan to bring back tight end Eric Ebron, and unrestricted free agent Darren Fells and the team are not close to a contract extension, the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett writes. Should Fells leave, which seems likely, Birkett says Michael Roberts is planning on playing a starter’s role in 2018. Ebron’s $8.25 MM deal becomes guaranteed on the first day of the new league year.
  • The Buccaneers are hiring Brentson Buckner as their new defensive lineman coach, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (Twitter link). Buckner spent the last five seasons working with the Cardinals in the same position.

Lions Sign LB Jarrad Davis

May 12th, 2017 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have signed eight of their nine draft picks, plus 14 undrafted free agents. The complete list:

Draft Signings:

UDFAs:

As far as draft picks go, Northern Illinois wide receiver Kenny Golladay is the only player that has yet to put pen to paper. The reason for the delay is not known, but third round picks often take longer to sign than other picks as things are less rigid in those slots.

Davis was said to be a target of the Dolphins at No. 22, so it’s a good thing that the Lions were up at No. 21. Davis impressed scouts at his Pro Day when he posted a 4.56 40-yard dash and 38.5 inch vertical jump. As shown on Roster Resource, Davis may be in for a starting role in 2017.

Tabor fell to the Lions at No. 53 but some draft analysts, like NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, felt that he should have gone much higher. The Florida product suffered a hamstring injury during his workout with Detroit and was unable to audition for other teams, so that might explain why he was still available. Then again, we’ve seen “pretend injuries” before, so it’s possible there was a wink-wink deal between Tabor’s team and the Lions.

Kaaya was said to have one of the highest football IQs of any quarterback in this year’s class. It remains to be seen whether he has the arm to make it as an NFL quarterback, but the Lions believe that he can be a solid backup QB, at minimum.

According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter), Valoaga got $22K guaranteed ($12K bonus, $10K base) to sign with Detroit. Typically, UDFAs get around $5K, so that’s a sign that Valoaga had at least a few teams interested in adding him to the 90-man roster.

Draft Notes: Chargers, Buccaneers, Jets

March 25th, 2017 at 11:12am CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers have been connected to a number of quarterback prospects, including DeShone Kizer, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Dobbs. Current signal-caller, veteran Philip Rivers, understands why his team would start looking for an heir apparent. However, the 35-year-old was also adamant that he’s not looking to give up his role anytime soon.

“I think it’s to be expected they’re going to get a young guy in the room to try and develop him and groom him,” Rivers said (via ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams). “It doesn’t by any means really affect me. I think it’s healthy for me. … This thing doesn’t last forever. I have to get to playing better and keep this thing going as long as you can.

“As long as I do that, then whoever it is they bring in here, they’re going to sit for a while.”

Rivers finished this past season with 4,386 yards, 33 touchdowns, and a career-high 21 interceptions.

Let’s take a look at some other draft notes…

  • The Buccaneers have shown interest in a pair of safeties, according to ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine: Obi Melifonwu (Connecticut) and Budda Baker (Washington). The organization is also eyeing wide receivers Chris Godwin (Penn State) and Rodney Adams (South Florida), offensive tackle Julien Davenport (Bucknell), running back Kareem Hunt (Toledo), and tight end Michael Roberts (Toledo).
  • According to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan didn’t show a whole lot of speed during his school’s Pro Day, but he looked solid in positional drills. The defender previously met with the Saints, and he had dinner with the Jets on Thursday night.
  • There were a number of offensive line coaches at Utah’s Pro Day, including staff from the Jets, Browns, Jaguars, and Lions. Offensive tackle Sam Tevi was impressive during the workouts, and the big man has drawn particular interest from both the Saints and Patriots.
  • Eastern Washington doesn’t have their Pro Day until early next week, but that didn’t stop some coaches from visiting their top prospects. The Cardinals and Buccaneers reportedly visited campus to work out defensive lineman Samson Ebukam.