Lions, Buccaneers In On DT Beau Allen
The Lions and Buccaneers are among the clubs with interest in free agent defensive tackle Beau Allen, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
This represents the first known interest in Allen, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles. Allen, 26, was extremely durable that time, as the only game he missed during his Philadelphia was a meaningless Week 17 contest in 2017. Last year, Allen — a one-technique tackle by trade — appeared on roughly 41% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. He’s PFR’s No. 6-ranked interior defender.
Detroit and Tampa Bay both ranked among the bottom half of the league in adjusted line yards, Football Outsiders‘ defensive line metric. The Lions could lose defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to either free agency or retirement, while the Buccaneers have already released fellow interior defender Chris Baker this offseason.
Bucs Pursuing Free Agent Defensive Tackles
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets that the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, and Redskins are among the teams looking to add a defensive tackle. The reporter lists free agents Dontari Poe, Star Lotulelei, and Sheldon Richardson as potential targets.
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Buccaneers To Use Second-Round Tender On Adam Humphries
The Buccaneers are expected to place a second-round tender on restricted free agent wide receiver Adam Humphries, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The tender this year is expected to be worth about $2.914MM.
The second-round tender has been more popular than ever this year with scores of players already having it assigned. It makes sense that teams are retaining lots of RFAs at a cost of less than $3MM given the abundance of cap room around the league.
Humphries, 25 in June, hit new career highs with 61 catches and 631 receiving yards last season. In three years with Tampa Bay, Humphries has amassed 143 grabs for 1,513 yards with four touchdowns.
Extra Points: Sherman, 49ers, Talib, 49ers, Bucs, Greco
Richard Sherman has taken some flack for his one-year deal with the 49ers, but he has no regrets about acting as his own agent.
“I don’t think any agent in the business could have done a better job of negotiating this contract,” Sherman told Peter King of The MMQB. “As long as I’m content with what I’m making, nothing else matters to me. Once I make a Pro Bowl, $8MM the next year is guaranteed for me. It gives me the ability to control my destiny. The 49ers have skin in the game. I have skin in the game. In my former contract, no matter what I did this year, nothing would be guaranteed to me next year. I couldn’t feel secure in my contract. Now, if I play the way I know I’m capable of playing, I know I’m going to get paid.”
Sherman’s deal is a three-year, $39MM pact, but a deeper look shows that the real base value is just $21.15MM with another $18MM coming in the form of bonuses. In order to earn the full $39MM, Sherman must play in every regular season game, be on the field for 90% of snaps, and earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in each season. In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will actually see the full value of the deal. Still, Sherman is content with how things played out and intimated that he wanted the opportunity to face his old team twice per year.
- Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter) had more on the 49ers’ proposed trade for cornerback Aqib Talib from the Broncos, which Talib rejected. The 49ers were going to send a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft in exchange for the services of the five-time Pro Bowler. In the end, the Broncos traded Talib to the Rams for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
- The Buccanneers looked to shore up their kicking woes of late by attempting to land former Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins before he re-signed with the Redskins, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The Bucs cut former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo prior to last season and Nick Folk was cut last month after missing a majority of last season on injured reserve with a minor-injury designation. Free-agent addition Patrick Murray hit 82.6% of his kicks with Tampa Bay last year in 23 attempts, with a long of 50 yards.
- The Giants and offensive lineman John Greco agreed to a one-year deal last month and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) that his salary for 2018 will be $1.02MM. Greco appeared in six games for the Giants last season after spending the previous six seasons as a mainstay within the interior of the Browns’ offensive line.
Buccaneers Re-Sign Adarius Glanton
The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign Adarius Glanton, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The linebacker will receive a $250K signing bonus as a part of his new deal. Full terms of the pact have yet to be disclosed. 
Glanton was scheduled for restricted free agency this year, but the Bucs opted against using a tender on him. Glanton is coming off of a broken leg which cost him the final weeks of the 2017 season.
Glanton has appeared in 35 games for the Bucs over the past three years, and started four contests in 2017. During that time, Glanton managed 19 tackles and one sack while playing nearly as many snaps on special teams (213) as he did on defense (284). Pro Football Focus was down on Glanton’s play in 2017, assigning him poor grades of 47.4 in run defense and 48.6 in pass coverage.
Bucs To Re-Sign Brent Grimes
Despite going into his age-35 season, Brent Grimes continues to command high-value contracts. The Buccaneers are re-signing him, Michael Silver of NFL.com reports ( Twitter link).
This will be a one-year deal worth up to $10MM, per Silver. While it might not be worth that much without incentives, Grimes appears to have done well for himself for 2018.
Grimes entered Monday as a UFA. He’s been a full-time starter throughout the 2010s, earning four Pro Bowl bids for his work. At age 34, he graded well in the view of Pro Football Focus, which tabbed him as far and away the Bucs’ No. 1 cornerback by bestowing a top-40 grade upon him.
The former Falcons and Dolphins starter will enter the 2018 season with 33 career interceptions. He also registered a career-high 24 pass deflections in 2016. The Bucs now have their No. 1 corner locked up for another season, and while they may need to find Vernon Hargreaves a long-term counterpart soon, the team looks in decent shape as of now.
Buccaneers Extend Cameron Brate
Cameron Brate is set to be a member of the Buccaneers for a long time. The tight end has agreed to a six-year extension, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Brate, 27 in July, was slated to be a restricted free agent this offseason. It’s a six-year, $41MM agreement for Brate, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports, adding that $18MM will be guaranteed.
The Bucs have decided to devote plenty of resources to stocking their tight end position, considering they used their first-round pick on O.J. Howard last year. But Brate continued to be a key weapon on Tampa Bay’s offense last season despite Howard’s arrival. The former undrafted free agent out of Harvard finished the 2017 campaign with 48 receptions for 591 yards and six scores.
Brate has now caught 14 touchdown passes over the past two years and has amassed more than 1,300 receiving yards in that span. He and Howard combined for 12 touchdown grabs, and the Bucs are keen on making tight end targeting a key component of future offenses. Pair this duo with quarterback Jameis Winston and wideouts Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Chris Godwin, and the Buccaneers should have another top-10 passing attack in 2018.
With a $6.8MM-per-year salary, Brate will fall into the middle tier of tight end contracts (right behind Coby Fleener, C.J. Fiedorowicz, and Jermaine Gresham). This will provide a major raise, however, after the former UDFA out of Harvard made just $690K last year.
Bucs Interested In Re-Signing Robert McClain
The Buccaneers are interested in extending Robert McClain‘s time in Tampa to beyond one season.
Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports the Bucs are considering re-signing the cornerback. McClain started nine games for the team last season, working both on the outside and in the slot.
A key rotational cog for the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, McClain has played for three of the four NFC South teams — with his three-year Falcons run from 2012-14 being his longest NFL stay — and is entering his age-30 season.
Tampa Bay has Brent Grimes as a UFA as well, so the franchise has a need at cornerback despite using a first-round pick on Vernon Hargreaves two years ago.
Buccaneers Monitoring CB Market
- The Bears placing their transition tag on Kyle Fuller may not dissuade teams from inquiring about the corner. JLC hears from multiple execs the fifth-year cornerback could be in line to see an offer sheet. However, Chicago holds $50MM in cap space and would seemingly be an obvious threat to match an offer that comes Fuller’s way. La Canfora reports the Packers, Titans, Buccaneers and Texans are doing extensive work researching the cornerback market. With Fuller tagged, Trumaine Johnson and Malcolm Butler are the prizes currently unattached.
Buccaneers Want Brent Grimes To Re-Sign
- The Buccaneers want Brent Grimes back next season, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Of course, as the reporter notes, the veteran’s return will depend on the offer. The 34-year-old spent the past two seasons in Tampa Bay, compiling seven interceptions in 29 games.
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