Titans Notes: RBs, Johnson, Wimbley, WRs
Appearing on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville today, GM Ruston Webster discussed the release of longtime Titan Chris Johnson and his team’s next move(s). Here are a few of the highlights, as tweeted by The Midday 180:
- The Titans will “definitely” be looking to select a running back in next month’s draft, according to Webster. The GM praised the position’s depth, suggesting that he’s confident the club could find the sort of player it will be seeking in the late rounds, if need be.
- “There was definitely a trade market for Chris Johnson and at times, I thought we would get it done,” Webster said.
- Asked about a report indicating the team has asked Kamerion Wimbley to take a pay cut, Webster said the team hasn’t put a deadline on those talks, and is optimistic about bringing the defensive end back for next season.
- Webster expects the Titans to add another wide receiver to compete with Marc Mariani and Michael Preston.
Titans Release Chris Johnson
11:32am: The Titans have officially informed Johnson of his release, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
8:54am: ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link) has confirmed what was widely expected: The Titans will cut Chris Johnson today. As we noted earlier this morning, the veteran running back is in Tennessee today and his situation was expected to be resolved in the form of a release rather than a trade.
With $4MM in prorated bonus money remaining on Johnson’s deal, the club will carry that amount in dead money in 2014, unless the 28-year-old is designated as a post-June 1 cut. Even without that June 1 designation, the Titans will create $6MM in 2014 cap savings by clearing Johnson’s exorbitant base salary from their books.
Johnson, who has only missed one game in his six NFL seasons, has compiled at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of those seasons. In 2013, he posted 1,077 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns despite reportedly playing through a torn meniscus. Still, those yards were hard to come by — he graded out as the league’s 42nd-best running back out of 55 qualified players last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Dallas has been mentioned as a potential destination for Johnson, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets are also likely to be a primary suitor for the longtime Titan when his release is made official. New York pursued veteran backs like Donald Brown and Maurice Jones-Drew earlier in the free agent period, but came up empty in both instances. Johnson’s asking price may exceed what players like Brown and MJD were seeking, but CJ2K’s upside is arguably higher as well.
So far this offseason, backs have been hard-pressed to sign deals worth more than $3.5MM per year, so it’ll be interesting to see how Johnson does, especially since he’s coming off surgery to repair that meniscus and is hitting the market a few weeks late. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested earlier today that a contract which pays Johnson $8MM in year one, with an average annual value of $6MM, seems reasonable. But even that kind of offer may not be easy to find, considering how many teams have already addressed their backfields this offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC Notes: Titans, Wimbley, McClain
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt had high praise for quarterbacks Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst, but suggested that their presence wouldn’t stop the team from considering signal-callers in this year’s draft, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
“You always have to be prepared because you never know what can happen. If there is an opportunity in this draft where you have a guy you think is really good, then you have to look at it,” Whisenhunt said. “But more importantly you have to look at two or three years down the road. It is about finding out about these guys. And then, if you don’t have them on your team, you know about them. And if something happens down the road you’ll have an important piece.”
Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Zach Mettenberger are among the young QBs who have drawn some interest from Tennessee leading up to the draft. Here’s more on the Titans and a few other AFC clubs:
- The Titans have asked defensive end Kamerion Wimbley to take a pay cut, reports Wyatt (via Twitter). The Tennessean scribe has suggested for much of the offseason that Wimbley would be a fit for the team’s new defense, but not at his current $6MM base salary (and $7.8MM cap number). If the veteran isn’t interested in accepting a pay cut, the team may release him, tweets Wyatt.
- Two AFC East teams, the Bills and Jets, will host LSU receiver Odell Beckham for pre-draft visits next week, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
- Speaking to Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, former Ravens linebacker Rolando McClain says he’s preparing as if he’s going to return to the NFL in 2014.
Chris Johnson Resolution Expected Today
Earlier this week, agent Joel Segal suggested he thought Chris Johnson‘s time with the Titans was over, but didn’t know exactly when that would become official. It looks like Segal may have his answer. The running back himself tweeted last night that he’s en route to Tennessee for a Friday meeting with the team, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that the expectations is Johnson will take a physical before being released.
The Titans have been expected to part ways with Johnson for some time, but recent reports of trade interest created optimism that the 28-year-old could be moved rather than cut. As I pointed out yesterday, however, once those reports start to suggest that Johnson will be released if no trade partner is found, it becomes pretty tricky to extract anything of value for him in a deal.
If and when Johnson hits the free agent market, he’ll provide an interesting case for the value of running backs — so far this offseason, backs have been hard-pressed to sign deals worth more than $3.5MM per year. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that a contract which pays Johnson $8MM in year one, with an average annual value of $6MM, seems reasonable. But even that kind of offer may not be easy to find, considering how many teams have already fired their free agency bullets.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Burleson, Jaguars, Titans
On this day in (sort of) NFL history, Bo Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. The year was 1991, and the signing came only three months after Jackson suffered a career-threatening hip injury while playing in the NFL playoffs with the Raiders. Jackson would never play another NFL game, finishing with 2,782 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Jackson would play in 23 games for the White Sox in 1991 and, after missing the entire ’92 baseball season, would appear in another 160 games between 1993 and 1994. Jackson was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in both the NFL and MLB.
Now, for some more news on the Raiders and other AFC teams…
- The Raiders will host Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- Free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson will visit with the Browns on Saturday, tweets Alex Marvez of Fox Sports. Burleson met with the Dolphins earlier today.
- The Jaguars are keeping their options open in regards to trading the No. 3 pick, and Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com looks at a couple of deals that the team could make. The “jackpot scenario,” according to DiRocco, would have to include the Texans selecting a quarterback and the Rams taking Greg Robinson. Plenty of teams would have interest in Jadeveon Clowney, meaning the Jags could move down a few spots while also adding a couple of draft picks.
- Assuming the Titans draft a running back, there still will not be a bona fide starter among the group, ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky says in a chat. According to Kuharsky, snaps will change game-to-game between the rookie, Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster.
- In the same chat, Kuharsky says he wouldn’t “be surprised” if the team selected a receiver, adding that the team needs one more. When asked which players he would avoid in the first round, Kuharsky replied “the quarterbacks.”
FA Notes: DeCoud, Reynolds, Coffman, Packers
A pair of notable safeties have come off the board today, with Patrick Chung heading back to New England, and Danieal Manning putting the finishing touches on a deal with Cincinnati. Like those players, Thomas DeCoud didn’t have an expiring contract, but found himself on the open market last month when his team decided to release him. And it appears a potential suitor has emerged for DeCoud as well. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the former Falcon is visiting the division-rival Panthers on Monday.
While we wait to see if DeCoud ends up reaching a deal in Carolina, let’s check out a few more free agency items:
- Rapoport passes along a little more free agent safety news, tweeting that Kurt Coleman, who met with the Jets earlier this week, is visiting the Colts tomorrow.
- Before the Titans signed Eric Olsen for offensive line depth, the team engaged in contract talks with free agent guard Garrett Reynolds, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). However, the two sides couldn’t work out an agreement.
- Chase Coffman was already an unrestricted free agent, but now it looks like a lock that he won’t be returning to his old team. The Falcons have informed the tight end that they won’t be offering him a contract, Coffman tweeted this morning.
- The Packers are the only team that hasn’t signed an unrestricted free agent from the 2014 class, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. While the team did bring players like Julius Peppers and Letroy Guion aboard, those players were released by other clubs, rather than having their contracts expire. As Hodkiewicz notes, the team’s offseason reflects GM Ted Thompson‘s philosophy, which places more value on the compensatory picks acquired by losing free agents than on signing free agents themselves.
Eric Olsen, Titans Agree To One-Year Deal
The Titans have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with interior lineman Eric Olsen, the team announced today (Twitter link). The move comes on the heels of the club re-signing Chris Spencer, so it appears the Titans are giving themselves a few depth options at center and guard.
Olsen, 25, was one of a few free agent linemen visiting the Titans this week, so it’s not clear where his and Spencer’s signings leave Uche Nwaneri and Garrett Reynolds, who also met with the team. In any case, Olsen joins the Titans after stints with the Broncos, Saints, Redskins, and Steelers during his first four NFL seasons. The former sixth-round pick saw his only regular season playing time during 2012 in New Orleans, when he played 174 offensive snaps for the Saints, primarily as a right guard.
Agent Expects Titans To Trade Or Cut Chris Johnson
Multiple reports this week have suggested that, with the Titans’ offseason workouts scheduled to get underway on Monday, resolution on the Chris Johnson situation will come before then, in the form of a trade or release. And it sounds like his agent is preparing for that reality as well. Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt, agent Joel Segal admitted that Johnson’s time in Tennessee is probably over.
“I had some communications with the Titans management today,” Segal said. “I think it’s a matter of time before Chris won’t be with the Titans. I just don’t know when.”
Asked if he expects a trade or if the Titans are more likely to simply cut the former 2,000-yard rusher, Segal joked that after he was wrong about what to expect for DeSean Jackson, another one of his clients, he’s not going to make any predictions on Johnson. Still, as we saw with Jackson, when rumors began to suggest that a player is expected to be dealt or cut, it’s hard to find any value for that player on the trade market.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com suggested yesterday that the Jets should be among the most serious suitors for the Titans running back, if and when he hits the open market.
Draft Updates: Quarterbacks, Mack, Tuitt
Here’s a handful of early-evening draft notes:
- Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will visit the Titans later this month, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean (via Twitter).
- The Browns will host a handful of quarterback prospects this week, including Blake Bortles (Central Florida, today), Derek Carr (Fresno State), Garoppolo, Tom Savage (Pittsburgh) and Keith Wenning (Ball State), according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (via Twitter), who says Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel will be in Cleveland later this month.
- Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, regarded as an elite defensive prospect, worked out for the Falcons today, per NFL.com’s Gil Brandt (via Twitter).
- Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt worked out for the Rams on Tuesday, and is scheduled to work out for the Steelers and Patriots this week, according to Brandt (via Twitter).
- The Bears, in desperate need of professional starting safeties, hosted Washington State’s Deone Bucannon, according to ESPNChicago.com’s Jeff Dickerson.
- Several of the Rams’ 30 allotted pre-draft visits are taking place this week, according to ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner, who mentions Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert, Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald in addition to those reported previously.
Draft Updates: Clowney, Bortles, Robinson
With no throws to make or brooms to evade, Jadeveon Clowney‘s Pro Day may not have had the fanfare of Johnny Manziel‘s event at Texas A&M, but plenty of coaches and executives showed up to watch Clowney at South Carolina today. Following his Pro Day, Clowney will make visits to work out for the Rams and Falcons, he confirmed today, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Here’s more on May’s draft and the 2014 class of prospects:
- The Browns are conducting their private workout with Blake Bortles today, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
- Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson is visiting the Rams in St. Louis today, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
- Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link) hears from several sources that Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who had dinner with GM Trent Baalke following his Pro Day, is drawing “heavy interest” from the 49ers.
- The Panthers worked out Wyoming defensive back Marqueston Huff today and will do the same for Wyoming wideout Robert Herron and quarterback Brett Smith on Thursday, says Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter links).
- According to Brandt (via Twitter), Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning has nine workouts lined up with nine NFL teams, including the Jaguars, Browns, and Patriots.
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (all Twitter links) passes along details on three prospects visiting the Titans: Auburn running back Tre Mason, who left Nashville today; West Virginia running back Charles Sims, who will visit later this week; and UCLA edge defender Anthony Barr, who will be in town next Tuesday.
- The Bills hosted Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby, Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk, and Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier today, according to the team.