49ers Still Interested In Lance Briggs
We haven’t heard much regarding the 49ers’ courtship of linebacker Lance Briggs in some time, but that doesn’t mean that it has fizzled out any. The 49ers remain interested in signing the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
Briggs, 34 (35 in November), played his whole career with the Bears, playing in 173 games and earning seven Pro Bowl appearances while making a case for the Hall of Fame. The Bears, however, opted to go in a new direction this offseason and in early March they informed him that he wouldn’t be returning for another season. Briggs, who entered the league as a third-round pick in 2003, was a key piece on the defensive side of the ball for the Bears for more than a decade. Known for being tough and durable throughout his career, Briggs has missed 15 of 32 games across the last two seasons. That’s a stark contrast to the four total contests he missed in his first ten seasons.
In late March, San Francisco brought Briggs in for a tryout and, until today, there wasn’t any word on where Briggs stood with the team. It sounds like Briggs could still be brought in to provide the 49ers with veteran depth, though he likely wouldn’t be counted on for the kind of production he offered years ago. After Patrick Willis‘ and Chris Borland‘s sudden retirements in March, the Niners could use some reinforcements at inside linebacker.
NFC Notes: Bears, 49ers, Saints, Falcons
New Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes 33-year-old Jared Allen, who’s shifting from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker, could be in line for a career renaissance.
“Like I told him, I think he can have a rebirth to his career here playing a little bit of a new position,” said Fangio, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. “But in the NFL today, you play more nickel than you actually play base. For some teams they play nickel 65 to 75 percent of the time. He’ll be playing his normal position then. So it’s not as drastic of a change as you might think.”
More production from Allen would be a welcome sight for Chicago, which had the third-worst defense in the NFL in 2014. Allen finished with just 5.5 sacks, the lowest total of an 11-year career that has seen him take down opposing quarterbacks 134 times.
Fangio is similarly hopeful about one of Allen’s fellow linebackers, Shea McClellin, adjusting well to his defense. McClellin, a 2012 first-round pick, has a meager 7.5 sacks during his first three seasons. Those years were spent shifting between defensive end and outside linebacker in the Bears’ previous 4-3 scheme. The 25-year-old will move to the inside of the linebacking corps as part of Fangio’s 3-4.
“I think he has a chance to be a good inside linebacker,” said Fangio. “We’re going to give him a full opportunity here and a full chance to learn the position so we can evaluate him and see if that’s a good spot for him.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The 49ers’ defense lost multiple key elements during a chaotic offseason. Star linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland both retired, while defensive lineman Justin Smith is contemplating joining them. One important returning face is linebacker Aldon Smith, who’s ready to become the leader of their defense in a contract year. “It’s a role I’m comfortable with,” Smith said, according to CSNBayArea.com. “Obviously, losing guys who were here … someone steps up. And it’s something I have no problem doing.” Smith has a whopping 44 sacks in 50 regular-season games, but the four-year veteran’s career has been beset by off-field issues.
- The Saints are expected to feel the loss of elite tight end Jimmy Graham, whom they traded to the Seahawks earlier this offseason, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes that the team’s offense might not drop off as drastically as some think. The Saints have fielded a top six offense every year during the Sean Payton–Drew Brees era, leading the league three times in yardage before Graham even got to New Orleans. In terms of weaponry, Triplett believes the additions of running back C.J. Spiller and wide receiver Brandin Cooks could help make up for the loss of Graham.
- Falcons superstar wide receiver Julio Jones is in line for a big contract extension, but there hasn’t been much progress on getting a new deal done. General manager Thomas Dimitroff didn’t provide an update on Jones’ situation on Saturday, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Randy Gregory, the Cowboys’ newly drafted pass rusher, is off to a good start at the team’s rookie camp. The second-round pick looked like more than just a speed rusher Saturday, showing off an array of moves and netting a would-be sack, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
West Notes: 49ers, Bennett, Weddle
49ers CEO Jed York says that GM Trent Baalke has no problem making draft-day deals for the future because he figures to be around awhile, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “You have to make sure your guys feel like they’re going to be a part of it for a while,” York said. “And with Trent, I watch it when we draft. Trent will always trade for next year’s picks because he feels comfortable that he’s going to be here.” Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC West..
- Michael Bennett said during a TV appearance that he doesn’t want to be traded, but he wouldn’t mind a salary increase, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes. Reports have indicated that he would like the Seahawks to renegotiate his contract and today’s comments seem to confirm that. “People assume when you ask for a little more money, they assume that you want to be traded or something like that,” he said. “But that’s not what I’m trying to go for.”
- Eric Weddle wants a new deal and he won’t be in attendance for workouts until he gets what he wants from the Chargers, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. “I’m not coming in anytime soon until something on their side is said,” Weddle told 1090 AM. “They know where we’re at, and they obviously know their stance, so we’ll see what happens from there.” Weddle is scheduled to make $7.5MM in base salary in the final year of a five-year, $40MM deal, making him the fourth-highest paid safety in terms of total compensation in 2015.
- Broncos defensive ends Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson are already in their walk years, Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. Both players say they’re determined to earn contract extensions this year.
49ers’ Ahmad Brooks Accused Of Assault
The alleged victim in the Ray McDonald case has also accused linebacker Ahmad Brooks of wrongdoing, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes. Brooks is being accused of assault and battery, false imprisonment and, infliction of emotional distress. The news was first reported by TMZ.
The accusation against Brooks came about following a defamation lawsuit McDonald filed against his accuser in March. At the time, McDonald was a free agent and claimed the woman defamed him and interfered with his livelihood as he struggled to find his next team. In a cross complaint filed Tuesday, she alleges that Brooks “groped her person in a sexual manner” when she was passed out from hitting her head.
For his part, McDonald, now with the Bears, has maintained the sexual encounter with the woman was consensual. The 49ers dismissed McDonald after police searched his home on Dec. 16th and his agent has claimed that he will not be implicated in the criminal case, though a spokesman with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office says it’s still open. It’s not immediately clear if Brooks is now the focal point of an investigation that was once centered around McDonald.
The alleged victim is represented in the civil lawsuit by prominent attorney Gloria Allred, who has been critical of the NFL’s handling of sexual assault and domestic violence cases.
Back in March, there were whispers that Brooks could be a cap casualty, but GM Trent Baalke made it clear that the player would be back in 2015.
“There has never been an indication from me otherwise,” Baalke said. “While all that was being written, I just sat back and looked at it because it was speculation based on our cap number and the cash flow that we had leading into free agency. A lot of assumptions were made, but wrongly.”
Now, Brooks’ job security with the 49ers is potentially in jeopardy once again.
49ers Sign Nine Undrafted Free Agents
The 49ers have announced their undrafted free agent class for 2015, and the group is very heavy on wideouts. Five of the nine UDFAs whose signings were confirmed today in a press release are receivers, per the team. Here’s the full list:
- Dres Anderson, WR, Utah ($50K guaranteed, per Brian McIntyre)
- Issac Blakeney, WR, Duke
- DiAndre Campbell, WR, Washington
- Darius Davis, WR, Henderson State
- Patrick Miller, OL, Auburn
- Marcus Rush, DL, Michigan State
- Dylan Thompson, QB, South Carolina ($5K bonus, plus $15K guaranteed salary, per Aaron Wilson)
- DeAndrew White, WR, Alabama ($32K guaranteed, per McIntyre)
- Jermaine Whitehead, S, Auburn
Justin Smith To Decide On Future Soon
Justin Smith plans to sit down with 49ers officials some time this month and decide whether he will return for a 15th season, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. “You’ll know in about three weeks or so,” the veteran defensive lineman said.
Smith, 35, would not say which way he was leaning, however. The veteran is under contract for one more season and although he has not been taking part in the 49ers’ offseason program, he is working out regularly on his own. His workout routine does not hint at his decision though – he says he’d work out even if he was out of football for health reasons.
If Smith does come back, he says it would probably be for only one more season anyway. Some speculated that the 49ers picking Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead was a sign that Smith was set to call it quits. However, since Smith doesn’t intend on being around beyond 2015 anyway, that draft choice meant very little in terms of the veteran’s future. Smith has been the 49ers’ top defensive lineman since he arrived in free agency in 2008, but he has battled injuries in recent years, including a triceps injury in 2012 and a shoulder injury in 2013.
In 2014, his age-35 season, Smith totaled five sacks (giving him 87 for his career) and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him the NFL’s 11th-best 3-4 defensive end out of 47 qualifiers.
Minor Moves: Monday
With the draft now in the books, we can expect plenty of roster shuffling in the coming days and weeks, as teams ready their 90-man rosters for training camp. Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league:
4:20pm:
- The Broncos have waived offensive tackles Paul Cornick and Jeremy Kelley, according to the Denver Post (Twitter link). Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link) expects the Bears to have interest in Cornick, who started six games in Dener last season. Of course, new Bears head coach John Fox and OC Adam Gase were previously with the Broncos.
- The Falcons have signed former Titans fullback Collin Mooney, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s a multiyear pact for Mooney, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Syracuse linebacker Cameron Lynch is the latest rookie free agent to join the Rams, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- The 49ers have waived linebacker Chase Thomas with a non-football injury designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Thomas tore his ACL in the offseason.
- The Buccaneers have claimed offensive lineman Reid Fragel off waivers from the Falcons, per Wilson (via Twitter). The move reunites the ex-Falcon with his old offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter.
- The Packers have cut offensive lineman Joe Madsen, tweets Wilson. Madsen finished the year on the team’s practice squad before signing a futures contract.
10:46am:
- The Colts have cut several players from their roster today, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who tweets that the team waived wide receiver Kadron Boone, defensive end Gannon Conway, offensive lineman Matt Hall, and former Olympic medalist Jeff Demps.
- Washington has parted ways with veteran edge defender Gabe Miller, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). The former fifth-round pick saw his first regular-season NFL action last season.
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link) adds Maryland linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil to the list of UDFAs signed by the Titans.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Barksdale, Winston
Although 49ers fullback Bruce Miller won’t face a more serious assault charge, he has been charged with misdemeanor vandalism for a domestic incident in which he allegedly threw his girlfriend’s phone against a wall, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. If he’s convicted, Miller faces up to a year in jail.
Miller wasn’t participating in the 49ers’ offseason program while Santa Clara police were investigating the incident, and it appears he’ll continue to stay away from the team. Sources tell Maiocco that the 49ers and Miller have agreed to remain apart as the legal process moves toward a conclusion.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), Joe Barksdale remains interested in re-signing with the Rams, who were said over the weekend to maintain interest in the free agent offensive tackle. However, there have been no talks today between the two sides.
- The Buccaneers‘ agreement with first overall pick Jameis Winston includes a clause prohibiting the QB from playing professional baseball during the life of his rookie contract, says Peter King of TheMMQB.com.
- There were three quarterbacks that piqued the Cowboys‘ interest in this year’s draft class, but once the draft got underway, the team never considered trading up to grab a signal-caller, according to owner Jerry Jones (link via Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News).
- As the Rams‘ 41st overall pick neared on Friday, the team received trade inquiries from the Chiefs, Eagles, Texans, Steelers, Panthers, and Cowboys, writes Michael Silver of NFL.com. After fielding offers from every team except Dallas, the Rams elected to strike a deal with the Panthers, who used the pick to grab wide receiver Devin Funchess.
- Anthony Patch has been let go as the Eagles‘ director of college scouting, sources tell Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Changes to scouting departments typically happen following the draft, particularly for teams like the Eagles, who underwent front office changes earlier in the offseason.
Extra Points: Browns, Bengals, Bonuses
Fond of assessing teams’ draft performances hours after their completion, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. provided some additional immediate analysis (Insider subscription required) on which teams’ depth charts improved the most.
Not coincidentally, six of Kiper’s eight teams mentioned here made their first pick in the top 10, with only the Browns and Seahawks drawing mention for their selections in the middle and near the end of the rounds, respectively.
While Kiper chastised Seattle for reaching each year, he’s come to accept what the franchise does may work, considering the annual production from homegrown players. He identified Tyler Lockett as a potential impact player for a team mostly devoid of them on the outside. Beyond their two first-rounders, the Browns’ third-round bolstering of their backfield with Duke Johnson drew specific praise from the longtime draft expert.
Here is some other news from around the league …
- With interior-line players coming to Cleveland after first-round notifications, the Browns were definitely not as flashy in this draft as they were last year, writes Jeff Schudel of the Lorain Morning Journal. Characterizing this year’s class as one orchestrated by Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer rather than what he determines as a Jimmy Haslem move in getting Johnny Manziel last year, Schudel notes the Browns, who may start Josh McCown rather than the first-round quarterback they traded up for in 2014, are planning for low-scoring contests this season.
- Coming off a torn ACL sustained in a bowl game, Cedric Ogbuehi seems destined for the physically unable to perform list to start his NFL career, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com in his look at Cincinnati’s new depth chart. Second-round tackle Jake Fisher should also be ready for work at center, offers Hobson, with offensive line coach Paul Alexander preferring versatility from his charges.
- With teams allotted $86K in bonuses to dole out to undrafted free agents, this year they are using funds from an unlimited area to compensate for that figure, reports Philly.com’s Paul Domowitch (Twitter links). By splitting finances for undrafted performers between bonus money and base salary guarantees, the latter not having a specific limit like the former, teams are spending quite a bit to land their post-draft targets.
- The 49ers did the most in terms of securing future resources during this draft, by acquiring two of the five 2016 selections exchanged this weekend, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Wilkening. The Chargers and Cowboys traded the 49ers fifth- and sixth-round picks, respectively, in next year’s draft.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Robinson, Cards, Vikes
Though the draft is over, the Eagles want to add more players, according to head coach Chip Kelly, who says the club want to bring in more offensive lineman and a tight end to replace James Casey (Twitter link via Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com). Philadelphia could look to add UDFAs and/or veteran free agents in the coming weeks.
Let’s look at some more notes from the NFC:
- Offensive tackle Corey Robinson says the Ravens, Dolphins, and Washington all called him with interest in signing him as a UDFA before he was chosen by the Lions, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim said he traded up for defensive lineman Rodney Gunter because he thought another team would take Gunter soon, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. That mystery team’s GM later confirmed to Keim that he would have selected Gunter had he been available, adds Urban.
- Guard Joe Berger was the only free agent whom the Vikings had interest in retaining, Vikes GM Rick Speilman tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Berger did end up being the only Minnesota FA to stick around, inking a two-year deal. (The Vikings also re-signed defensive tackle Tom Johnson and long snapper Cullen Loeffler, but both technically signed before the start of free agency).
- The 49ers drafted Blake Bell as a tight end, but the club thinks the former college quarterback could serve as an emergency QB in the NFL, per Matt Barrows of the San Francisco Bee (Twitter link), who adds that the presence of Bell could affect San Francisco’s roster construction.